Ultraman the First Regenerate
by Neon Genesis Guyver III
Summary: In the future, corruption and fear consume the planet. Giant monsters threaten the last vestige of hope, a hero will rise to defend it. Chapter Five UP!
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Ultraman in any of his incarnations. Tsuburaya does. Lucky devils.

_**Urutoraman Za First  
Regenerate**_

Prologue

_It is forbidden for us to interfere in the affairs of the races we observe. This law above all others, holds precedence to explorers._

He kept repeating this in his head over and over as he sat by the small lake. He had learned this law early in his education on Ultoran. He understood the importance of the law, but in the case of this world, he wished it did not exist. He felt a deep sorrow for these 'humans' as they called themselves. He knew there was so much he could do for them. He could change their lives, overthrow their oppressive government. But if he did, he would have to undergo severe punishment. He couldn't do that to his new wife, or to his parents. He wanted to help the people of this planet they called 'Earth'. He wanted to, but couldn't.

He had been on Earth for nearly a week. He'd taken a human form, but was still unable to achieve the ability to communicate vocally. He was unaccustomed to vocal speech and found it difficult to form the organs necessary to create the sounds. (Se'ban was far better at assuming alien forms.)

Every day, he went out about the humans to study them. From these excursions he learned much about humans. They were a very care-free race; they loved to take risks. Some were totally vulgar, doing anything to achieve pleasure. But there were many good humans as well, simply trying to get by day to day, despite the oppressive nature of the government. He also enjoyed their spiritualism, and took part in various religious ceremonies. He loved this world.

Alas, his hands were tied. By the end of the day he'd be on a one-way wormhole trip home. He'd give his report, go home to his wife, and, Creator willing, he'd forget this sad planet.

_Ah, who am I kidding?_ He said to himself, _No way I'll ever forget this place._

He took a deep breath and sighed. Of course he didn't really need air. The radiation of the planet's sun provided all of the nourishment he needed. Unfortunately, the planet's atmosphere blocked out the optimum amount of sunlight he needed to survive. In human form he could survive for about an hour at a time, but in his true alien form he could only survive for about three minuets.

He sat in human form, waiting for the wormhole to open so he could leave. He hoped it would not take long.

"Hello."

He turned. The voice came from a small human child, a boy, Asian in origin. The child stood by the lake next to him. He nodded his head in response to the boy's greeting.

"My name's Usagi. What's yours?"

He shook his head, opened his mouth, and made a slashing motion across his throat, hoping the boy would understand his meaning.

"You can't talk?" the boy asked.

He nodded.

"Gomen," replied the boy, sitting. "I'll try not to ask anything too hard."

He smiled and nodded. He had never tried to communicate with humans before. Not enough time.

"My family came here from Tendou," Continued Usagi. "We heard the police robots weren't as rough here. Do you live here?"

He shook his head at the question.

"Where do you live?"

He sighed and laughed softly, knowing any adult human would think he was insane. But this human still had the innocence of childhood, so telling him the truth wouldn't hurt. He pointed upward.

"Na-nii?" asked Usagi. "The sky?"

He shook his head and lifted his hand higher up.

"In space?" Usagi laughed in delight as the stranger nodded his head. "Cool, so you're an alien? What's your name?"

The alien sighed, wondering how he'd be able to tell him that. Then he looked at the sand and, hoping the boy could read at his age, wrote his name in English.

The boy read the name off, syllable by syllable, "Ul...to...ra-...Ma'...un. Ultora-Ma'un, that right?"

Ma'un nodded his head but shook his hand in the so-so gesture. The boy had mispronounced the last syllable as Un instead of 'oon as it was pronounced in his language, but it was close enough.

"You know," said Usagi, "you're the first friend I've made here. Will you stay long?"

Ma'un shook his head.

"Oh," Usagi replied. "Will I see you again?"

Not wanting to upset the child, Ma'un nodded, then patted the child's head. He stood up and readied himself to leave. He felt his wormhole open. He was about to fly off when he heard a loud banging sound from across the lake.

The trees across the lake gave way as a giant creature, resembling a reptile, appeared. It moved out of the woods and tore across the beach, thrashing trees with it's claws and tail. It ran past Ma'un and nearly whipped him with its tail. Usagi had taken cover behind some trees.

Ma'un looked at the giant beast. He knew nothing like this was born on this world. He also knew that if it got into the city many people would be killed.

_I'm going to be court marshaled for this._

A strange glow formed around the alien from Ultoran. His body dissolved into a golden dust. The dust formed into a vortex of light. Inside, a figure appeared. It flew out of the portal and kicked the monster on the head, back flipped, landed and took a fighting stance. He was over two hundred feet tall. His actual body was silver, but he wore a reddish material over it along with a set of silver plates on his fore-arms, lower legs, outer thighs, shoulders and chest. His head was a silver oval shape with a fin, huge yellow eyes, and a v shaped upper lip and rigid jaw.

Ma'un and the beast wrestled, each trying to gain an edge. Unfortunately, Ma'un's thoughts were split between fighting and keeping Usagi out of danger. The creature made use of the distraction and quickly swung around, tripping Ma'un with its tail. But Ma'un caught himself with his hands and thrust himself up on his feet.

Usagi watched in amaze as his new friend fought the beast.

Ma'un kicked the creature's head. Then he lifted it up and hurled it across the lake. The creature walked into the water to get to the other side faster, but Ma'un wanted to keep the fight away from Usagi. He flew up into the air and landed in the water next to the beast. The two again started brawling. This time, the monster shot energy bursts at Ma'un from its mouth. Ma'un took these bursts easily. Then he pulled his right hand behind his head and thrust it forward, releasing a disk of spinning energy from his hand. The disk slashed the beast. This infuriated the monster. It let out a gigantic burst of energy at the warrior. This succeeded in knocking him down. It fired again and again. Ma'un was thrown back toward the shore. He tried to get up but was in serious pain. Then he heard a familiar BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP. He looked down and saw the once blue crystal on his chest flashing red and beeping an alarm.

_Energy... low. Time almost up._

Ma'un managed to stand. The creature once again let an energy blast, knocking him down again. As he fell, Ma'un noticed a small burst of excess energy. At first he didn't care, until he saw where it was headed...

_Usagi!_

There was nothing he could do but watch as the blast struck the ground where the Earth child stood. Watched as he fell to the ground, laying in a manner humans weren't meant to lay in. He reached his hand out to the child as a shining tear seeped down his rigid face.

A fierce growl of anger arose from his throat. He charged at the monster, ignoring his pain. He beat the monster savagely. The beast had no idea what was happening. All it felt was pain. When Ma'un stopped, the beast was barely able to move. It was very near death. Still it charged, blinded by rage and stupidity.

_Time to end this!_ Ma'un Thrust his arms to the left, crossed at the wrists, then raised them above his head. Light began to shine at the connection point. Then, with a fierce battle cry, he brought his arms down, left crossed over right. From his right hand, a blast of pure energy shot toward the beast. The beast's body burned away in the heat of the blast till there was nothing left.

Ma'un walked toward the dead body of his young friend. _Never get involved_. He allowed his hand to hover near the poor boy. More tears formed in his eyes. _Nothing I could do. Nothing I could do._ He looks toward his crystal, flashing faster. _No, there is something I can do._ He looked toward the sky. _Forgive me Ariea. I will not be home as soon as we'd hoped._

He thrust his hands together and held them above the child. Light shone from his hands. His body became dust again. The dust flowed into Usagi. The dust disappeared, and Usagi awoke. He looked around. Aside from the broken trees and scorch marks, he saw nothing different. In his mind, all that had happened in the last few minuets didn't happen. He walked home, unaware of the strange happenings that had occurred that day.

In the capital city of Heaven, the sovereign nation of the URE, Vice minister Graham sat in his office, silently. Then, a monitor on his desk came alive. On it was a man in a military uniform and with a worried look on his face.

"Vice Minister Graham," said the soldier, "we've lost track of mutant #739. It disappeared near Valhalla's capital. We've found no trace of it."

"Any signs of conflict?" Asked the minister.

"Yes. We've confirmed several plasma burst burns and an energy signature we can't ID."

Graham stood up. "Put all effort into investigating this! If you find any evidence the Valhallans are involved, inform me at once!"

"Yes Sir."

(R&R please. I'm glad they finally put an Ultraman section on this site. Looking forward to reading other people's Ultraman Fanfics.)


	2. Chapter 1 I Am Ultraman

Disclaimer: I don't own Ultraman in any of his incarnations. Tsuburaya Does. They rock!

_**Ultraman The First Regenerate**_

Chapter 1

Valhalla Square is the very center of the country. It consisted of a huge park with a small lake, and was surrounded on all sides by stores, buildings, and malls. People from across the nation came here to shop and relax. However, on this day people were gathered for a different reason.

Minister Albert Warshaw, leader of Valhalla and representative of the Parliament of the URE, stood atop a podium on a stage built only three days previous. He raised a hand and spoke to the large crowds that had gathered for the speech, "My fellow citizens of Valhalla. When I was elected, it was because you thought I was someone who would do what was best for Valhalla. Today I stand before you to say that I have every intention of doing just that." This statement earned loud cheers from the crowds. after the cheers died down he continued, "For the last few years, the cruelty of the ruling government has become more severe. Taxes have gone up excessively. Police robots have become more volatile in their programming. The number of convictions without trials has grown to outlandish proportions. I tell you we will no longer stand for this. We shall be the first to rise up and say, We are tired! We are angry! We've taken all we can take and we cannot take any more!" The crowd once again took to cheering. "Today I stand before you, not as your minister to the URE, but as your president as we move into the future. As we move as Valhalla!"

The crowd cheered their hearts out. The neighboring cities cheered. The whole nation cheered. All except for one young man.

Usagi Shundo had grown quite a bit since moving to Valhalla ten years previous. He was now 16 years old, and had grown into a very hansom young man. He wore his black hair long and was actually quite tall and fit.

It was lunch time at Valhalla Union High, where Usagi went to school. Everyone was in the cafeteria, listening to the minister/president's speech. Usagi was standing to the side, waiting for the classes to start again. He was the only one in the lunch hall who hadn't cheered at the prospect of liberation. While he liked the idea of a free society, without the influence of the URE, he was never one to be optimistic, by nature.

He had every reason to be. Every time something good was supposed to happen in his life, things almost always turned for the worst. He and his family moved to Valhalla to avoid oppression from their home country, just when the oppression had started to spread to Valhalla. Then, one day, as his father headed off to work, he accidentally got caught up in a tax protest and as a result was thrown into jail without trial. It was hard for Usagi to be optimistic when disaster was always waiting around the corner.

"Usagi-chan!"

Usagi turned and saw his girlfriend, Erica, walking towards him. She was a beautiful girl with brown hair and eyes, and was at least half a foot shorter than him. He groaned at her pet-name for him. "Come on Erica-chan, don't call me that. My mom calls me that. I'm not a kid any more."

Erica smiled and said, "I happen to like calling you that. You made the choice to ask me out the first time, now you have to bear the consequences."

"But you aren't even Japanese."

"Well I can speak it just as well as you," She replied. Then she said in Japanese, "Wouldn't you agree?"

Usagi shrugged, surrendering. "Point made."

"Besides," she continued, "You should be excited. I mean we're free now. No more heavy taxes, no more oppression. Tonight they're going to release the people from the tax protest, that means your dad and my Uncle Carl are going to be released."

"Erica, you know it's not that simple," Usagi said sternly. "The URE isn't going to let us go that easily. They'll fight to keep us, and since they control the world, I'd say there's a good chance they'll win."

Erica narrowed her eyes and frowned at Usagi. "You always have to be the optimist," she said sarcastically.

"Just being a realist," Usagi sighed.

Erica walked up closer to Usagi, till her face was right in front of his. She smiled as she put her face right up to his and gave him a kiss right on the lips. Then pulled back and grinned, saying, "Well, it'll be fun while it lasts."

Usagi smiled back, something he rarely did without her there. He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her in for another kiss. As they kissed, he thought to himself, _Even if this doesn't last, it will be worth it._

Usagi lived on the fourth floor of a fairly old apartment complex with his mother. It had been there since the early twenty-first century. His mother had to work two jobs to support them, a desk job and a housework job. Ever since Usagi's father had been arrested, life had been hard for them. But it seemed like that would change.

He entered his apartment, lugging his surprisingly light backpack. Teachers were so happy about the liberation they practically called a holiday. He only had to do basic calculus homework, then he had the rest of the night to do whatever.

His mother, Mizuki Shundo, a woman who had retained much of her natural beauty well into her forties, greeted him with a warm smile. "Welcome home Usagi-chan," she said, embracing him. "Isn't it wonderful?" She continued, "Today they're going to let out the prisoners from the tax protest. Tonight your father will finally come home."

"Yeah, I heard," He said happily. "It's hard to believe it's only been seven years since he was arrested. Erica Sanders' family is having a party for her Uncle Carl. I thought we could go too, show Tou-san a good time."

"That's a wonderful idea dear," She replied. "I'd tried to think of some way to celebrate his homecoming. I'm sure he'll be delighted."

Usagi smiled. He hadn't seen his mother this happy in years. "I'm glad you like it. Me and Erica were gonna head out and pick them up later today. Want to come?"

"No," She said. "I think I'll wait. I need to prepare for the party."

"Okay," Usagi said as he headed toward his room, "I'll do my homework and pick up Erica at seven."

Dan Shundo sat alone in the square prison cell. He was held by a magnetic force-field, as was every other prisoner. He pulled out a small gold locket that hung around his neck. Inside was a picture of him, Mizuki and a younger Usagi, having a picnic in the square. He hoped he would be able to do this again real soon.

"Dan Shundo?"

He looked up to see a guard standing outside his cell. He stood up and replied, "Yes?"

"It's nineteen-hundred hours," Said the guard. "Time to go."

The guard took a card from his pocket and touched it to a crystal panel on the left side of the cell. The panel flashed and the force-field dropped.

"Finally," Dan sighed. "Now I can go home after all these years."

"Wish I could go too," said the guard, "I have to work the night shift again. It sucks total ass."

Dan left the cell and was escorted to the entrance, where a mob of former prisoners impatiently waited to be let out. He filed through the crowd, wanting to be as close to the exit as possible.

"Hey Dan!" cried a familiar voice.

Dan turned and noticed a man filing through the mob towards him. He recognized him as Carl Marcus, whose niece was good friends with Usagi. They were both arrested during the protest, except Carl was there on purpose. they had talked during lunch and during recreational hours and were good friends.

"Carl!" He replied when he realized who it was. "How are you?"

"Good," Carl replied, exhausted. Moving through the crowd took a lot of effort. "You ready to leave this dump?"

"You know it," Replied Dan.

"Great!" Said the enthusiastic convict. "My sister and her family are holding a little shindig to welcome me back. Think maybe you and yours will join us?"

"Sure. After living in this hell-hole for seven years, it'll be good to get out."

"Don't I know it."

Then, very suddenly, the doors opened and daylight poured in.

V.I.C.T.O.R.Y. (Vigilance, Integrity, Compassion, Tech. Operation, Repel Yami. ((Darkness)) ((I know it's goofy but it's the best I could think up. )) ), the code name for the new Valhallan military force. The new V.I.C.T.O.R.Y. base had been built just that year. Inside his office, General Sean Nextel sat, looking over reports. Nextel was an experienced soldier and commander, and was very sturdy despite his advanced years.

Suddenly, Col. Mark Xander entered. Xander was young but very confident. He wore his blond hair long, but kept himself well attired at all times. "General," He said, saluting. "Sonar just picked up a U.R.E. Super-Heavy Drop Carrier headed toward the Valhallan capital."

The general looked up in concern. "Payload?"

"Scans say about five or six Gorgon Tanks, and one large mass we haven't been able to pin down." Xander gave the scans to Nextel as he spoke.

"Could it be some sort of bomb?" Asked the general with concern.

Xander shook his head. "Far too large to be any type of explosive missile."

Nextel stood up. "Colonel, mobilize the troops. Prep for combat. Looks like it's time to fight for our independence."

"Roger!"

Usagi and Erica pushed through the crowd of families after seeing the prison doors open. The inmates filed out, rushing to meet their families. The teens looked for their pick-ups.

"Usagi-kun!"

Usagi turned to see his dad, rushing up to him. "Tou-san!" He shouted back.

Father embraced son for a minuet. They released each other and found tears forming in each other's eyes.

"It's good to see you, Tou-san." Said Usagi happily.

"It's good to see you too, Usagi-kun," Replied his father, placing a hand on his head. "My god, how you've grown. When I saw you last you were a little kid. But now look at you." Then he turned to Erica, who was standing next to them. "And is this Erica Sanders? You seem to have grown quite a bit as well, in body and beauty."

"Arigato, Shundo-san," She replied, blushing.

"Actually, Dad…" Said Usagi, nervously. "Erica-chan and I… we're… well…"

"We're dating now," Erica cut in.

"Well," said Dan, a little surprised. "I must say I'm not that surprised. You two were really good friends since you were very young. It only figures that those feelings would bloom into something more."

"Hey!"

They looked toward the direction of the voice to see Uncle Carl. He was walking up to them. Erica couldn't help but run up and hug him. "Uncle!"

"Hey! It's great to see you too Erica," Carl said as he embraced his niece. He put her down and looked her over. "My God. For a second there I thought you were your ma. Since I've been gone seven years, I've missed out on watching you turn from a girl into a woman."

Erica blushed at her uncle's compliment.

"And Usagi," Carl continued, "you've become quite the man. And did I hear you two are dating now? That's great."

"Arigato, Marcus-san," Replied Usagi.

"Usagi-kun," Said Dan, "Is your Kaa-san here?"

"She's waiting back at home," replied Usagi. "She's getting ready to go to the party they're having for Mr. Marcus. We hoped you'd like to go."

"Yes, Carl told me about it," Dan said chuckling. "I guess we're all on the same wavelength."

"Excellent," replied Usagi. "The car's this way."

They all walked towards Usagi's car. They were about to get in when they heard the sound of massive engines. They looked up and watched as the SHD Carrier flew high overhead. From the sky dropped six Gorgons, carrier tanks which could carry up to twelve soldiers. They were named for the legendary snake-haired Gorgon of Greek mythology, which was said to be able to turn people to stone. These massive vehicles might as well have been Gorgons, for as soon as they landed (crushing several pedestrians) everyone froze in terror. Each sat on a road leading out of the area.

Usagi, Erica, Dan and Carl had moved into a crowd standing near one of the Gorgons. The machine opened up and let out a dozen robot soldiers carrying machine guns. The robots surround the crowd, as did the ones from the other Gorgons. One of the soldiers, marked with red paint, signifying leadership, moved around the frightened people. "People of the rouge nation Valhalla! We represent the United Regions of Earth Parliamentary Government. You have attempted to sever yourselves from the URE. This is an act of insurrection. Punishment must be instituted."

"It doesn't matter what you do!" Yelled a member of the crowd. "Valhalla will never rejoin the URE!"

In a manner most unlike a robot, the commanding machine laughed maniacally. Then it turned to the out speaker and said, "You misunderstand the situation, human. This isn't an act of war, IT'S AN EXTERMINATION!"

"What?" Everyone asked in turn.

The robot continued, "To show how serious we are, everyone in this area will be executed, as will some in the surrounding area if we're fortunate. Then your farce government will have seven hours to surrender or this whole nation will be wiped clean of human life."

"What the fuck?" replied another crowd member. "So, what? Are you just going to shoot us?"

"No," replied the machine. "We're merely the waiters, keeping you here for IT to feast on."

Almost on cue, the Drop Carrier flew over again. The load it let down this time was much bigger. It landed directly on the prison, as well as part of the neighboring structures, killing everyone inside. It was a large metal box, with holes on the sides. Loud and harsh breathing could be hear coming from within. Whatever was inside, it was massive, and hungry.

The metal cage broke open, destroying whatever remained of the structures near the prison. The creature inside stood up and looked about. It stood well over two-hundred feet tall. It resembled a dinosaur of the tyrannosaur persuasion. It's back was covered in pointed spikes across the tail and the top of the head. The beast roared at the crowd, showing it's curved teeth.

"Valhallans!" Announced the robot. "Meet the instrument of your demise! Mutant#747, the mighty Bemular!"

The terrible monster moved in on the crowd, preparing to grab it's first bite. Citizens ran in fear as the monster moved forward into the streets of the city. Some people were crushed under it's massive feet or it's tail. Others it simply scooped up in its mouth and ate. Suddenly, bullets flared across the mutant's hide.

"What?!?" Shouted the commanding robot.

Everyone looked in the sky as three Odins, V.I.C.T.O.R.Y.'s jet fighters, flew overhead. On the streets, behind the Gorgons, the Vikings, VICTORY's ground force tanks, moved in with soldiers holding flank.

From the tank nearest to the commanding machine came the voice of Captain Xander. "URE Forces, this is Captain Mark Xander of V.I.C.T.O.R.Y., the Valhallan military force! Leave our nation or be kicked out by force!"

"Fools," Replied the robot commander. "We are built for combat. We have no fear of death!"

Xander grinned as he shouted back, "Neither do we!"

A fierce conflict broke out. The VICTORY soldiers took on the URE robots on the ground, while the Odins and Vikings tried to hold back Bemular. Some of the civilians had managed to get out during the fighting. Usagi, Erica, Carl and Dan weren't so fortunate.

Usagi held Erica close as she shivered in terror, all of them hiding behind a piece of building wreckage made by Bemular. "Stay close, Erica-Chan," he said gently.

"Usagi-chan," she replied, her voice quivering.

Threw a window they saw the battle. Bullets and debris shot past as humans battled machines and machines battled the monster. Then suddenly, a robot soldier came up behind the four civilians and took aim at them. Carl, having been in a few fights in his day, ducked down. Usagi and Erica however were scared stiff. Seeing their hesitation, Dan pushed them to the ground, just as the robot pulled the trigger of it's rifle.

"Tou-san!" Usagi shouted, watching in horror as the bullets tore through his father.

Dan fell to the ground, bullet holes lacing his chest. The robot targeted the teens. But before it could fire, Usagi delivered a strong kick to its jaw, causing a malfunction. He knelt down next to his father, lifting him up.

(Author's note: The next bit of dialogue is actually in Japanese.)  
Dan looked up at Usagi. "Son, are you alright?" He gasped.

"Yes." Usagi felt tears fall down his cheeks.

Dan coughed up blood as he continued. "Tell your mother, I love her."

"Yes, father," he answered, nearly weeping.

"I'm sorry, Usagi-kun…" With that, Dan fell limp, dying in his son's arms.  
(Back to English.)

"Tou-san…" Usagi cried for his father. _Tou-san,_ he thought. _Why? He was a good man. He never did anything wrong. Why? Why?_ "Ahhh!" Suddenly, Usagi felt a burning in his chest. He looked down, but he hadn't been shot. _What's happening? What's this burning I feel inside? What is it?_

Usagi struggled with the strange burning. Meanwhile Erica, still dazed from the fall, stumbled around trying to reorient herself. But as she wandered, she didn't notice Bemular walking her way. Usagi looked up and saw the beast as it headed toward her.

Finally he couldn't take it any more and shouted, "Yamino!" _Stop this!_

Time seemed to freeze. Usagi looked around. He saw everyone in a frozen stance. Bullets and building debris hung in mid-air. Bemular stood stiffly above a cringing, but equally frozen Erica.

Usagi walked around, taking in his surroundings. "What the hell's going on?" He spun around, hoping someone would answer. "Am I dead?" He asked nervously.

"No."

Usagi turned towards the voice. A flash of light shone in the air. From the light walked a man.

"Not yet at any rate."

Usagi realized that he knew this man. He felt a long dormant memory float to the surface. And the first thing he remembered was a name. "Ultora Ma'un."

"Hello, Usagi," replied the alien. "It's been a while."

"I remember…" Usagi said, grabbing his head. "When I was a kid… that monster..."

"Yes," Ma'un continued. "I had to erase your memory of the event. It would have been too crippling. You needed to be able to move on with your life."

"But," Usagi continued, "during the fight… I remember a flash… A burning… What happened?"

Ultora Ma'un sighed, and said plainly, "You died."

Usagi stared, wide-eyed and silent.

"During my battle with the monster," Ma'un continued, "you were caught in the cross-fire. After destroying the monster, I mourned you're death. I decided to bond my life force with yours and resurrect you."

"And you've existed inside me ever since?"

"Yes. But I also knew that more monsters might appear. Those kinds of creatures don't just pop-up randomly."

Usagi gave a soft laugh. "Guess you were right. Now what can you do?"

Ultora Ma'un started to back up. "I'm trapped in this limbo. Here I can do nothing. But you, you can stop all this."

The teen looked at the human form alien in total shock. "Me?"

Ultora Ma'un shifted to his true form and continued, "My power and life force exist within you. You have the power to take my form and battle these beasts. What else you do with it is up to you, but I think you'll do the right thing." Ultora Ma'un extended his hand. A shot of light poured out of his hand. From it, a small, strangely shaped rod floated toward Usagi. "This is the Beta Capsule. It contains a spark of energy strong enough to transform you into a being with my form and power, but your heart and soul."

Usagi grasped the Capsule. He looked it over, then firmly gripped it.

"Good luck, Usagi-kun."

He raised the capsule above his head.

A flash of light filled the battle field. A red vortex of light appeared from nothing. From inside, a silver-armored being flew out. The transformed Usagi flew from the vortex and knocked back the massive Bemular.

Erica looked up and saw the silver and red figure stand above her. "My god."

Usagi looked down at her. Though he couldn't show it, he felt extremely relieved. Then he turned to his opponent. The giant reptilian creature let out a loud growl at him. Then the battle was set to begin.

From his command tank, Col. Xander watched as the giants faced off in awe.

One of his officers walked up to him. "Should we attack sir?" He asked.

"No," the Colonel replied. "Let the big dogs duke it out. We'll move in only if needed."

"Yes, sir."

The titans clashed. Usagi delivered kicks to the head and punches to the gut. Bemular mostly wrestled with the human/alien. It had never been prepped to battle an opponent hand to hand. It tried gouging the silver giant with its claws. At one point it charged toward Usagi, head-on, spikes at the ready. Like when he transformed, Usagi became a cloud of glowing dust. The beast charged right through the cloud, which reformed behind it. Using its confusion as a distraction, Usagi kicked the beast down. It tried to charge again. This time Usagi tripped it sending it head over heels. Usagi seemed fairly confident in his superior fighting abilities. Then he heard a strange, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP…

He looked down to see the crystal on his chest flashing red. A beeping sound filled the air. Bemular charged again, this time hitting dead on. Usagi fell, feeling weak.

_What's happening?_ He thought. _Why am I so weak?_

_My body requires large amounts of light. Your atmosphere is too thick to support it. You can only last in this form for three Terran minutes. After one-and-a-half minutes, your Biotic Sensor will flash. And if it stops, you'll die._

Usagi nodded, taking in Ultora Ma'un's words. Bemular charged again. (What happens next is done very fast. Faster then you can read.) Usagi pulled his hand behind his head and formed an energy disk. In one swift movement, he elbowed it in the gut, slashed it across the chest, then grabbed it and hurled it over his shoulder and onto the ground.

The beast got up again, still ready to fight.

_Sorry pal,_ Usagi thought, _I don't have time for this._

Usagi thrust his arms to the left, then above his head. Light shone from the hands._ Specium Slayer…_ He brought them down into position and let out the blast. …_Light Stream!_ The rays collided with the beast, causing it to burn up and explode.

Down below, Erica stood in shock. Carl, who had also watched the battle, walked up to her as the silver giant moved toward them. The giant dissolved into shining dust again. The dust floated down and came together in the form of Usagi.

"Usagi!" Cried Erica as she ran up to her boyfriend.

Usagi fell to his knees. Tears were streaming down his eyes. Erica bent down and embraced him for the longest time. Carl stood and watched, until he noticed the sound of footsteps behind him. He turned to see Col. Xander, who had witnessed Usagi's shift to human form. He'd hoped to get some answers, but could see this wasn't the time.

Medical crews moved in to help the wounded and collect the dead. Usagi watched as they closed the body-bag of his father's corpse. He drew Erica close, giving both her and himself some comfort. Carl put hand on the boy's shoulder.

Xander walked up to the mourners. "I'm sorry for your loss," he said to Usagi. "I wanted to ask some questions. But, I think I'll wait a while, give you time to mourn."

"Arigato," the teen replied.

"As an added note, I wanted to say how grateful we are for what you did."

"No big."

Usagi, Erica and Carl began to walk away.

Then Xander stepped up and said, "Is there something I can call you by, next time we meet? Which I'm sure we will."

Usagi turned to the VICTORY officer and said, "My friends and loved ones call me Usagi Shundo. My enemies can call me… Ultraman."

He walked into his house to see his mother, sitting in a chair, crying. She ran up to him and the two held each other close.

Usagi sat on the overhang porch of his apartment. He'd stopped crying, but the pain lingered. He stared into space, just looking at stars.

"Usagi-kun."

He turned to the door to see Erica standing in it.

"What's with the –kun?" He asked. "I thought you liked calling me Usagi-chan."

Erica leaned on the balcony and continued, "Usagi-chan was a boy I grew up with. We played together in our childhood. We hung-out during middle school. Made-out during high school. You may look like him, but you're not. After all this, you've changed. I can see it in your eyes. You're stronger, serious. You're not a boy anymore. But, it's okay, because even if you're not Usagi-kun anymore, you'll always be Usagi. And I'll always love you."

"I love you too, Erica-chan." replied Usagi as they moved in to kiss. The kiss seemed to last a lifetime.

"So, 'Ultraman'. The war for earth has begun. Huh, huh, huh, huh!"

(Bwa-ha-ha... I hope you like my first chapter. I'm not going to say who it was that made the last little comment, you'll have to find out later. R&R! Arigato!)


	3. Chapter 2 Subterranian Menace

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Ultraman in any of his incarnations. The fact is, none of us owns anything of any value, otherwise we wouldn't be doing these. Ah well. Tsuburaya gots the rights to the series.**_

_**Ultraman the First**_

**REGENERATE**

**Chapter two**

It had been nearly a month since the monster attack on the Valhallan capital. VICTORY, the new military force of Valhalla, had taken this time to lick their wounds from the first battle. Realizing that they were ill prepared to deal with the giant beasts, the head brass of VICTORY commissioned the formation of a new unit to study these giant monstrosities. Under the supervision of Col. Xander and under the direct command of Captain Shin Hayata, a veteran soldier, the Scientific Mutant Investigation Unit, or the "Science Patrol" as it was more commonly known, was formed.

Shortly after its formation, the captain called a meeting of the Science Patrol to discuss their function in VICTORY. He played footage of the battle between the monster Bemular and the strange silver giant that had been code-named Ultraman. His teammates, Corporal Ron Donahue, genius mechanic and inventor; Corporal Anne Janson, a twenty-one year old prodigy physicist, still in collage; and Lieutenant Max Reilly, the soldier of the group; all watched the footage with great interest. When it ended, Capt. Hayata paused it on an image of Ultraman and turned up the lights of the room.

"This," he said, pointing at the view screen, "is the reason why we're here gentlemen and lady. This is the subject of our studies here. This is what we were all brought together to analyze and classify. Any questions before we get started?"

Janson, after pushing her glasses up her nose, raised her hand and spoke, "I thought we were gathered to study the giant monsters. Why the sudden interest in Ultraman?"

Capt. Hayata sighed. "The fact is," he said, "that we have no idea who Ultraman really is or what he's capable of. Even if he appears to be our ally now, if that were to ever change we'd need to know all we can of him to protect ourselves."

"That seems a little paranoid Sir," Janson replied.

Capt. Hayata walked up to Janson and said, "In war, having a healthy bit of paranoia can help you stay alive. Keep in mind, I've been through heavy combat training for a good part of my life. So if I do come off as paranoid it's for a good reason. Okay?"

Janson simply nodded and said, "Yes sir."

"Good," Capt. Hayata responded as he moved back to the screen. "Now, I want all of you to study the battle footage and various analyses of the battle area and tell me what you've found out as soon as possible. Dismissed."

The three Science Patrol members stood and saluted, saying, "Yes Sir."

It had been almost a month since the monster attack on the Valhallan capital. A month since his father's death. A month since he became the silver giant and fought Bemular. A month since he had given himself the codename Ultraman. Usagi Shundo had never expected to have to deal with any of these things.

He stood by his father's gravestone, himself silent as the grave. He looked at the strange black rod in his hand. The rod that had been given to him by the alien Ultora Ma'un, who called it the Beta Capsule. Usagi kept it in the pocket of his jacket at all times, ready to use its power to transform in an instant.

"Shundo."

Usagi didn't have to turn to know the voice came from Col. Xander. "Forget it Xander," he said.

"I haven't said it yet," replied the Colonel.

Usagi began to walk away, continuing, "You want me to become a member of VICTORY. I've told you before, I'm not interested in joining the war."

"No one says you have to," replied Xander, following the teen. "Not directly at any rate. Will you listen?" Usagi stayed silent but kept walking. Figuring, well, he didn't say no, Xander continued, "We've formed a new unit to take on these monsters. It needs soldiers. Where better to work than with the group that will be helping you tackle these monsters?"

"Look Colonel," Usagi said impatiently, "I appreciate that you and the brass kept my secret on a need to know basis. It makes life easier knowing I won't have to deal with paparazzi day and night. But with all due respect, I'm not a soldier. I don't fight or kill, it's not in me."

"Tell that to your giant silver alter-ego."

Usagi stopped. The Colonel had a point. As Ultraman, Usagi hadn't hesitated to kill Bemular. He was also right about the job. Being a part of this unit meant he'd be close to the action at all times, and it would also give him a heads up on possible weaknesses. Sighing, he turned his face towards the Colonel and said, "I'll think about it. No promises."

Xander smiled. "That's all I ask."

The subway stations beneath the streets of Valhalla capital had to undergo hundreds of reconstructions after the attack. The driver of the train was already receiving complaints from busy passengers about their schedule delays due to the renovating being done in the tunnels. Like it was his fault they weren't smart enough to take an earlier train. _Damn monster!_ He thought. _As if my job wasn't hard enough…_

Suddenly, up ahead he saw movement. A large brown tube covered in strange spikes was moving through the floor of the tunnel and away from his train.

All the driver could say was, "HOLY SHIT!" before pulling the break with all his might. But the inertia of the train was too great and the driver was forced to run as the front car collided with the tube and was torn up by the fast moving brown mass. He covered his ears at the sharp grinding of the two materials. Then, surprisingly, the grinding stopped. The driver turned, just in time to see the twin ended tail of the tube slither off.

Once again, passengers came up to complain. But when they saw that the front car was all but gone, they all found themselves speechless.

The driver sat on the back of an ambulance. He was talking to Cap. Hayata about what had happened. The poor man was extremely shook up, not to mention being half deaf from the grinding sound.

"… Then," he said, "I turned and saw… I guess it was a tail of some sort… I saw it disappear down the tunnel."

"Did you see anything else?" asked Hayata.

"Say what now?" Asked the man, turning his head to hear better.

Hayata sighed and said, "Never mind." He waved to the medics to come and care for the driver as he walked away. He put a cigarette in his mouth and lit it as he watched the maintenance crew examine the excavated train wreckage. _What the hell has a hide strong enough to do that?_

Anne looked over the edge of the hole left by the creature. Next to her was Reilly, and both watched as the eager Donahue lowered down on a winch. Donahue turned on his flashlight as he touched bottom.

"Blimey!" He said, speaking in his British accent. "You lot should see this. What ever the bloody hell was down here, the bugger was huge."

"You see anything?" called Janson.

"Not yet," Donahue replied. But as he panned around with his light, he saw a piece of brownish material. " 'Old on, I think I've got some'n." He picked up the material. It was large and round and had a sort of quill protruding from one side. "Looks like a huge scale of some kind. Probably from our tunneling friend."

" 'Ow big is it Ron?" asked Reilly loudly. He too spoke with a British accent.

" 'Bout a foot and a half, maybe two feet in diameter," Donahue replied. "We'll have to take it back to base and examine it."

"Right," Reilly called back. "We'll haul you up."

A couple of hours later, the scale was delivered to the analysis lab added to VICTORY for the use of Science Patrol. The lab techs looked over and scanned the scale intently as the Science Patrol watched.

The head scientist, Dr. Morrison, after nearly an hour of study, walked up to Cap. Hayata and said, "We've finished our analysis Captain."

"And…" Hayata replied.

"It's defiantly reptilian in nature. The genetic analysis shows the same type of genetic manipulation that we saw in Bemular's. It's definitely another URE mutant weapon. It seems to be using our subway and sewer systems to get around."

"Have you figured out why the scale has a quill?" Asked Janson.

The Doctor continued, "We think the creature is snake-like in appearance. The quills are designed to aid in its movement through the tunnel system. That quill is super sharp and as strong as hard steel. It could cut though stone and metal easily, which explains how the creature is such a proficient burrower."

"And how the train was torn up so bad," commented Donahue.

"So," said Reilly, "What size heel do we use to crush this serpent's head?"

"Relax mate," Donahue replied. "I already 'ave my crew modifying a little toy for our sewer serpent to play with."

Usagi looked intently at the newspaper. The article about the subway accident held his full attention. The paper made no mention of a monster, but the fact that VICTORY felt compelled to shut down all subway stations in the capital and surrounding districts was a dead giveaway something was up. _Looks like Ultraman is going to have to make another appearance._

Erica, who was visiting Usagi's apartment, sat next to him on the couch. "Usagi-kun, Daijoubu?"

"I'm fine Erica," he replied. "There's been an accident in the subway. A train was extremely damaged."

"Was it another monster?" She asked.

"They aren't saying," he said. "But I can read between the lines."

Erica looked into his eyes. She could tell he was deep in thought. "There's something else, isn't there?"

Usagi put down the paper and sighed. "Col. Xander asked me to join again," he said.

Hearing that name again caused a swell of anger to build up in Erica. It took all the effort she had to keep from shouting as she said, "That jerk! Why can't he just take no for answer?"

Usagi chuckled. "I don't think he'd be a Colonel if he did."

"Still," she said, "I can't stand the fact that he has no respect for your wishes. You told him you aren't interested, but he doesn't stop."

"Actually," replied Usagi, "this time I said I would think about it."

"Na-nii?!" Erica cried out.

Usagi looked at her and saw the shock on her face. "I know," he said, "it's crazy. But it would bring new money in to help my mom, and it would give me access to valuable data that I can use as Ultraman."

"But you could get killed!" she said.

"That's a risk I'm going to take anyway," he replied.

Erica turned away. She remembered him saying that his powers as Ultraman had nasty backfire. If he stayed Ultraman for more than three minutes, he would die. It was a fact she hadn't tried to dwell on, but one that made her dread his next battle. But, she also didn't want him to risk himself as him. "Usagi," she said, sorrowfully, "I don't want you to get hurt. I don't want to knock on your door and know you won't be on the other side." She turned to him, revealing her teary eyes to him. "I don't want to lose you."

Usagi sighed as he pulled her into an embrace. "You won't. I can take care of myself." He held her close and comforted her.

_And if you can't, I can._

Usagi smiled a little at hearing Ma'un's voice in his head. It was a part of the symbiosis they had obtained that he liked. It was nice to have someone to talk to every now and then that had an understanding of what you meant at a deeper level.

_Thanks for the input,_ thought Usagi. _I wish she could hear it._

Donahue was sitting behind the controls of the vehicle his crew had assembled. It was a subway car modified with jet thrusters and large laser-gun turrets facing the rear.

Donahue eagerly explained the machine to his comrades. "The machine will make quick maneuvers in the tunnels," he said. "With any luck, the snake'll come at us from the side with the turrets."

"But will lasers be enough?" Asked Reilly.

"They won't have to be," replied the captain. "They just have to drew it out into the open. Into our snare."

"Right," replied Donahue. "This is just the bait. The rest is up to the Vikings and Odins. Hopefully that'll be enough."

"Amen to that," said Janson.

A few days later, an entrance and exit-way into the city tunnels was made near where the accident had occurred. The modified car was loaded inside, with Donahue at the helm and Reilly at the guns. A unit of Vikings stood at the ready ten yards from the entrance, while a squadron of Odins circled above.

Once below, the two pilots turned on the machine and moved into the dark tunnel. After traveling several miles by power of the wheels, the two Science patrollers began to feel the tension.

"Hey, Ron," said Reilly. "What are the odds of us finding this bugger?"

"Ask Anne," Replied Donahue. "She's the physicist, I'm just the gizmo guy with the good looks."

Up above, Janson and the captain watched a sensor grid map, which showed the train's location. They also felt the tension building.

"No hits yet Captain," said Donahue over the radio.

"Roger," he replied. "Keep your eyes and ears alert."

"Roger."

For several hours they moved through the tunnels. After a while, Cap. Hayata began to consider calling the mission off. Then…

"Captain."

Hayata turned towards the radio at Reilly's voice. "What is it Reilly?"

"We just heard a sound up ahead. It may be nothing but… No, I'm picking up something on the infrared. It's getting bigger… moving towards us! Shit! It's the target!"

"Move out Dammit!" Hayata shouted, anxiety now being substituted with worry.

Below, the two soldiers readied to run for their lives.

"You heard the captain!" shouted Reilly. "Let's go!!"

Donahue flipped the ignition and all Reilly heard him say was, "HANG ON!!!" before the engines fired, sending them hurtling down the tunnel. But even as they sped away, the giant serpent gained on them. It had a black face-plate and no eyes that could be seen. From the sides of its mouth came mandible fangs, bending inward. The creature screeched as it chased the machine down the tunnels.

Reilly targeted and fired the guns. Even though the lasers made some obvious cuts in the creature's mouth, they couldn't penetrate the skull-plate. "Captain!" He shouted into his mic. "The lasers aren't cutting it! Ready the trap!"

Up above everyone readied themselves for the strike. Viking drivers armed their cannon and Odin pilots moved their jets into battle formation.

Below, the two Science patrollers tried desperately to keep their pursuer at bay. But the beast continued to gain as they neared their exit.

"Can't you make this bloody thing go faster?!?" Shouted Reilly.

"No!" replied Donahue. "I think the engines are gonna give out!"

A loud whir was heard as the left engine began to slow down.

"Scratch that! I'm sure the engines are gonna give out!"

Reilly's eyes opened wide in horror as he watched the approaching serpent open its fanged jaws.

Above everyone watched the entrance from a distance. Hayata and Jenson watched with nervous anticipation. Dust started to rise from the tunnel. Then, like a bolt of brown lightning, the serpent shot out of the tunnel and towered over the neighboring buildings, spreading the red and brown frills on its neck.

In its mouth was the modified train, held in place by its teeth and fangs.

"It has the others!" cried Jenson.

"Hold fire!" shouted Hayata.

"Sorry Sir," replied a Viking driver over the radio. "We have specific orders to kill that thing. Personnel casualties are not a factor."

"I'm in command here dammit!" He shouted into the mic. "Those are my people up there."

The driver didn't respond. Instead, the cannons of the tanks began to fire. The serpent turned itself so the shells hit the sides of its body. The shells exploded against the scaled sides, but had no effect on the serpent. The Odins moved in to strike. But, somehow aware of their presence, the serpent turned its head toward the jets and, dislodging them from the train, spat an acidic substance from its mandible fangs at them. The acid ate away at the wings, causing the jets to crash not far away.

Everyone watched in horror as the beast counter-striked. Acid eating away at tanks and jets, and the buildings surrounding the entrance as well. Hayata stood anxiously, waiting for a miracle.

Usagi had heard the cannon fire. He was on the roof of his apartment. In the distance, he could see the serpent's head. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the Beta Capsule.

"I hoped this day wouldn't come."

Usagi turned slightly. Erica stood behind him. He remained silent.

"I don't want you to go," She said. "But you have to, don't you?"

"I'll be fine," he replied.

"I know," she said. "Just come back alive."

Usagi chuckled. "Not a problem." He raised the Beta Capsule in the air.

"Good luck, Usagi-kun."

He pressed the button.

The vortex formed in the air. From the center, Ultraman flew out and into the fray. He ran up and punched the serpent, knocking the train loose. He turned over and caught it before it crashed. He placed it down gently then threw an energy disk at the serpent. The beast dodged it and dove back underground.

Janson and Hayata watched in amaze as the silver giant stood above them. Words couldn't describe their awe at that moment. Even Hayata, who from the beginning stated he didn't trust this giant, felt a strange trust in him now.

Ultraman moved into the streets, waiting for the creature. Sure enough, it popped up next to him and shot acid at him. Ultraman rolled out of the way, leaving the acid to dissolve part of the building wall behind him. Ultraman rolled onto his feet and threw another disk. This time the serpent turned his scaled side towards the disk and took it. The blade did no damage, and the serpent merely dove underground again. Ultraman got up and held his arms at the ready. For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then, the creature jumped out of the ground, slashing him across the back and diving back in. Then it did it again, and again, and again!

Ultraman fell to the ground in pain. His color timer started flashing, his time running out. _Dammit!_ He thought. _How can I fight something so strong and fast?_

_Usagi, it isn't invincible. It guards it underbelly fervently. That's its weak-point! Hit it there and the battle is finished._

Ultraman slowly stood up. His eyes changed color from yellow to red as he looked around. His vision now accessed the infra-red spectrum, allowing him to see heat sources. After a second, he saw the monster's heat. He lifted his leg and thrust it down right on the serpent's head, causing its body to fly up from the inertia. Quickly, Ultraman grabbed its body. He charged his fingers with energy and drove them right into its gut. The creature screeched in pain as Ultraman's energized hand cut into its guts.

Ultraman pulled its head out of the ground and pulled its body out by force. Then, using all the force and speed he could muster, he hurled it into the air. He thrust his arms to the left, then raised them above his head. The energy flowed into them. He brought them down in the plus formation and let out the Specium Slayer Light Stream. The beam hit the serpent dead on in the underbelly. The energy spread through its body like a sparks on a fuse. In an instant it exploded into dust.

Hayata and Janson looked up at the giant in amaze. Janson looked over and saw Hayata smile the first smile she'd ever seen him give.

"Paranoia fading Sir?" she asked.

Hayata sighed, "Maybe. Its had to hate a guy who's more willing to save people then the ones the people work with."

Janson smiled. "Amen to that Sir."

Ultraman sighed his relief. Then, looking towards the sky, he leaped up and flew away. After reaching a height that he knew he couldn't be seen at, he dissolved into his dust form and headed back down to become Usagi once again. After reforming, he was greeted by an embrace from Erica. As he held the girl of his dreams in his arms, he came to a hard decision. Hard, because he didn't want to see her reaction when he told her

The next day Cap. Hayata called yet another meeting of the Science Patrol. Both Reilly and Donahue were heavily bandaged, but good enough to work.

Hayata stood before his team and spoke, "Team, our first mission was a slight success. And, even though I won't say I totally trust him, I have to admit, much of the credit for our final victory goes to Ultraman."

"Makes ya' wish he'd join VICTORY, eh?" said Reilly as he slapped Donahue's shoulder, causing him to wince in pain. "Oh, sorry mate."

"Bloody moron," Donahue replied as he hit Reilly back.

Reilly winced as he said, "I said I was sorry."

"Easy you two," said the captain. "Speaking of joining, we have a new teammate under recommendation by Col. Xander." He moved over and opened the door to the room.

A young man with long cut black hair walked in in a brand new VICTORY Uniform. He saluted the others and said, "Privet Usagi Shundo reporting for duty Sirs!"

"General, why did you order the men to fire, even though Hayata's men were in the way?"

"This is war Col. The lives of two soldiers don't hold water to the lives of the people of our nation."

"They do to the Captain, and to me."

"I'm sorry you feel that way Col. I know Hayata was your mentor, but we can't afford loyalties like that. If you do, you won't last long."

"You're wrong sir."

"Hmm."

"That loyalty is what makes us strong. It's what'll help us win this war."

"…………Dismissed."

"Aye Sir."

(Hope you liked this Chapter. Next time, Usagi tries to fit-in in Science Patrol. A great aerial battle ensues. Read and Review.)

Kaiju in this chapter.

Mutant #457, Edenodon.


	4. Chapter 3 Terror of Land, Sea, and Sky

Disclaimer: I do not own Ultraman in any of his incarnations. I own the Idea's for some of the monsters in this fic and many of the characters, but not all. Tsuburaya Rules!

Ultraman The First

Regenerate

Chapter Three

Usagi walked into his house and set down his book bag. It was fairly light, mostly because he had spent most of his lunch time working on the assignments. He knew he had to finish his homework quickly so he could get to work on time for the team's group analysis of Ultraman. After being Ultraman for nearly two months now, he wanted to know what they had figured out about him. Thankfully, being merged with a highly evolved and intelligent alien life-form does have its perks, and within a few minuets he finished all his assignments.

As he put on his VICTORY uniform, his mother walked in. She watched as he pulled on the black jacket of his uniform. She thought she saw him place something in the pocket of his jacket, but shrugged it off.

Usagi turned and saw her stand behind him. "Kaa-san? What's wrong?"

"Nothing dear," she said kindly. "I'm not used to the idea of my son being in uniform. I think your father would have been very proud."

"And you?" Usagi replied as he pulled on his gloves. "How do you feel about this?"

Mrs. Shundou's eyes widened at his statement. She looked away and sighed. "Honestly," she said, "I have no idea what to think. But, it's not my choice to make. You accepted this life, and now I must too. This is what you want," then she turned back to him, "and how I feel should not influence that."

Usagi stared at his mother for a short time. Then he walked up and embraced her. When he let go, he said, "Don't worry, Kaa-san. I won't let you down. I won't lose my life so easily."

"I hope that's true," She said. "I'm holding you to it." Then with a smile she said, "If you don't, you'll be grounded for life."

Usagi smiled, ever so faintly, as he went back to suiting up.

XXXX

A short time later Usagi was on the road to VICTORY HQ. His thoughts were on the conversation he'd just had with his mother. The worried expression on her face as he left the house occupied his thoughts as he drove.

_She's a strong woman, your mother. She reminds me of my wife back on Ultoran._

Usagi looked into his window, but rather then his face being reflected, he could see the familiar silver visage of Ma'un staring back at him. _She has to be,_ he thought, returning his attention to the road. _Now that Tou-san's dead, she's struggling to keep herself together. She's all alone now except for me. I'm sure a military career was the last thing she wanted me to pursue after dad died._

_Well,_ replied Ma'un. _At least she took it better then Erica._

A stressed hum came from Usagi's throat. _Erica-chan…_

XXXX

Approximately one month previous…

"_You're what?!?" cried Erica as she broke away from Usagi. "You're actually going to do it?!"_

"_Yes," replied Usagi sullenly. He had just destroyed Edenodon as Ultraman and now faced his distressed girlfriend, who, only seconds before, held him in a tender embrace. "I'm going to join VICTORY," he continued. "I'm joining their Science Patrol."_

_Erica just stood in shock. True, he had mentioned possibly accepting Col. Xander's offer to join VICTORY, but she hadn't really prepared for the possibility that he would. "Usagi-kun," she said after nearly a full minute, "This is too much! First your father dies, then you become an alien superhero, and now you want to join the army?! It's all too much!"_

_Usagi took a step back in shock. "Erica-chan…"_

_She turned away from him. "I need to be alone for a while," She said. "Just until I can wrap my head around this…"_

_Usagi stepped forward. "Erica…"_

"_I don't want to see you," she replied, throwing Usagi for a loop. "Not until I get this all straightened out."_

"_Erica…" he said one last time as she walked towards the stairs. He watched her open the door, then shut it behind her. It was a full ten minutes before he began to chase after her, but by then, she was already long gone._

XXXX

Usagi hadn't seen Erica since that day, though he kept a picture of her with him at all times. At a stop light, he pulled out said picture and just stared at it. _Damn my stupidity!_

XXXX

Donahue stood before the wide-screen monitor with a long pointer, as the others, including Usagi, sat down.

"Let's get started," he said. He brings up a picture of Ultraman in a simple fighting stance. "Now as we all know, this is Ultraman. He stands at an estimated 40 meters tall, roughly 200 feet or so. He has the power to fire energy beams from his hands," He switched to another slide, this one was of Ultraman performing his Specium Slayer Light Stream. "This is his primary monster slaying weapon, a highly concentrated energy stream emitted from his right hand while the left is crossed in front of it. Element analysis has told us the radiation is consistent with a newly discovered element called Specium, which is predominantly found on Mars. Exposure to a concentrated dose of this for even a short amount of time can cause massive decay at the cellular level. It's a potent weapon for sure." The next slide he brings up is of Ultraman throwing an energy disk. "This is his other weapon, a circular energy blade. The blade is probably made of specium as well, though that's hard to say. It has both close and long range combat abilities and appears to be a versatile weapon." The next slide was of Ultraman's color timer. "This blue crystal on his chest, his color timer, is apparently designed to flash red when he is low on power. It would seem he can't last in this world very long and needs to be made aware constantly of how much time he has. My base estimate is that he can't battle for longer than three minutes at a time." Then Donahue turned off the screen. "In addition to this information, sources from the first battle say he posses a sort of teleportation ability, and of course we have all seen his flight ability. All in all, Ultraman is definitely a powerful warrior."

Donahue sat down as Reilly took the floor. His speech was short and plain, "I have studied Ultraman's fighting style with great interest. He fights using a combination of martial arts and wrestling, which is useful in fighting these monsters. However, I can see places where he needs improvement. In his first battle, he seems cocky. His overtaking of Bemular made him feel superior, which left him off guard when his color timer started to flash. In his second fight, he was easily overtaken by the snake monster, but he fought more seriously. My opinion is, as a fighter, Ultraman is an amateur. Tough though he is, I doubt he'll last long on his powers alone."

After Donahue's speech, Captain Hayata stood up and took the floor. "As of right now, VICTORY's official stance on Ultraman is this. He's an ally, nothing more. If he turns on us, he will pay the consequences. This is a war. Once it ends, we expect him to leave. That is the brass's official declaration. Dismissed."

XXXX

Usagi walked the halls of VICTORY. _Well,_ he thought, _That was enlightening._

_Reilly's right you know. You really need to work on your martial arts if you wish to keep fighting URE mutants._

_I know that!_ He replied. _I'm not baka. But who'll teach me?_

_You're in the army and you can't find someone to teach you to fight? Sounds pretty baka to me._

_SHUT UP MA'UN!_

Usagi came to a stop on the guard-rail of an overhang in the hanger. He watched jet pilots move about the hanger in an orderly fashion. At first he paid only mild attention to the odd migrations, then, something caught his eye. A trio of red clad female pilots, entering the hanger. All others moved out of their way as the walked by. As they moved closer to the overhang, Usagi could see each one was extremely beautiful. He also saw that their leader was Tendouese as well.

He followed their movement past the overhang. He stared after them as they headed for the planes on the far side of the hanger, which he noticed where not like the Odins the other VICTORY pilots flew. These fighters were blood red, like the women's uniforms, and were slightly smaller and narrower in the fuselage.

"I see the Valkyries caught your eyes, Shundou."

Usagi turned and saw Reilly standing behind him. "The what…?"

"Valkyries," Reilly replied. "VICTORY's most elite flight squadron. Three pilots, all women, two Lieutenants and a Major. They've received the highest scores of any pilot on the flight simulators." Then he chuckled as he said, "And there ain't a bad looker in the bunch."

"I noticed," Usagi replied. "What about their planes?"

"Valkyrie Specials," Reilly continued. "They're the only ones in the fleet who get them. Faster then Odins, but light on armor. Not that it matters since you'd have to have God Eyes to hit them."

"I see."

Usagi and Reilly stared after the Valkyries until they left view.

After a short silence, Usagi spoke up, "So, Reilly. Do you think you could teach me to fight?"

"Huh?" Said Reilly, still slightly star-dazzled.

"I'd like to learn how to fight. Can you teach me?"

"B-but," Reilly stuttered. "You're Tedouese. I mean, nothing racist or anything, but aren't you all trained in Martial Arts from birth?"

"I know some basics," Usagi replied. "But being raised in Valhalla didn't really offer too many chances for me to train. Not to mention my folks were never big advocates violence."

Reilly sighed. "I guess it couldn't hurt. Plus I'd hate to think that you'd be left out of the fun next time a monster shows."

"So, it's a deal?"

Reilly grabbed Usagi's offering hand and said, "Sure, What've I got to lose?"

XXXX

The next few weeks, Reilly took Usagi under his wing. He ran the teenaged soldier through a rigid gambit of combat training. From hand to hand, to weapons combat, to flight training. Luckily, Usagi caught on quick, especially flight training. He quickly beat out records held by the more seasoned soldiers on the flight sims.

The rapid increase of his combat skills caught the eyes of both Col. Xander and Captain Hayata. Eventually they invited Shundo and Reilly to the Colonel's office. Once there they found the Colonel sitting at his desk, while the Captain was standing with something in his hands. the Captain handed them each what they thought were wallets. When they opened them, they saw they were pilot badges.

They both looked at their superiors in shock. Usagi was the first to reply, "Colonel, Taicho-san…"

The Captain spoke up, "We've been observing your privet training sessions for some time. You two have become quite the team. You've both worked hard, especially you Shundo. In all my years of service, I've never seen someone take to piloting as well as you have so quickly."

"Thank you sir."

"And Reilly," The Colonel said finally, "You also have met the minimum requirements for your own piloting license. The reason we've waited until now to give these to you is because we have just now received authorization from the brass to grant usage of an Odin to the Scientific Mutant Investigation Unit. And we want the best team possible flying it. You two definitely qualify as the best team."

"Thank-you sir," replied Reilly.

Suddenly, the sirens started blaring. Klaxons replaced normal lighting in the base as the warning was sounded.

The Captain looked at his soldiers and said over the sirens, "Looks like you're going to put your skills to the test right now."

"Like my father always said," replied Usagi, "'The best way to learn the game is to play it.'"

The Colonel stood up from his desk. "VICTORY STAND BY!"

The three others in his office saluted him saying, "ROGER!"

XXXX

The Colonel entered the War-Room a short time later. "Status report."

One of the radar operators spoke up, "We have just confirmed a URE drop carrier has crossed over the British defense line and is moving in on Central. ETA one hour."

The Colonel pressed a button on the console, activating the intercom. "All stations, code green. Odin pilots, prep for takeoff."

XXXX

In the hanger, Reilly and Shundou had already suited up in pilot-gear and entered their cockpit. As they fastened in, the Colonel's voice came up again,_ "Repeat, we are code green. Odin pilots, prep for takeoff."_

"Ready for this partner?" Asked Reilly from the back seat.

"Always." Usagi called back.

Helmets in place and belt straps secure, the pilots did their checks and set for take-off.

"_All pilots go on green."_ A second later, the go light turned green and the Odins took off. Reilly and Usagi were accustomed to the G-forces thanks to the G-force trainer in the base. They followed the other airships to the coordinates of the carrier.

XXXX

In the war room, the Colonel and Hayata watched the radar as their ships moved in on the carrier.

"You're almost there team." Said the Colonel. "Once you have the carrier in sight, don't hesitate. Blast it out of the sky, got it?"

"_Roger!"_

XXXX

In their fighter, Usagi and Reilly kept a sharp eye out for the target. Soon the massive carrier came into sight over the sea. Usagi steered the Odin straight at it and Reilly locked on the laser guns. All the fighters then assaulted the carrier. As he steered to avoid return-fire from the ship, Usagi spotted three small red fighters making fast maneuvers around the carrier.

"You weren't kidding when you said those things were fast." He said.

"Yeah," replied Reilly. "But we're smart. And the only thing a ship needs to keep airborne is?"

Usagi smiled as they said in unison, "The engines!"

Usagi maneuvered behind the gigantic mecha, avoiding massive amounts of laser-fire. Reilly began targeting the thrusters and exhaust ports with as much weaponry as he could spare.

"You sure this'll work?" Usagi asked as they drew closer.

"Nope."

"Works for me."

The Science Patrol Odin launched its full assault on the rear of the ship. Lasers pierced through the scorching heat of the thrusters, and missiles blasted the exhaust. These strikes together put extreme stress on the port side engine. Inside the ship, a dozen or so robot engineers where blown away as the engine ruptured.

Outside, Usagi and Reilly watched a hunk of the carrier's hull blow off and smoke and flame pour out from it.

"We did it!" Shouted Usagi as he reached back his hand.

Reilly gladly fived his partner's hand as they celebrated.

Inside the Major's Valkyrie Special, the pilot watched the actions of the new pilots. "Lucky rookies," she said with mild amusement.

XXXX

Inside the command room of the ship, the Robotic Captain sent a distress call to their base. Minister Graham appeared on his view-screen, a sour expression on his face. "Report Captain," he said.

"We are under heavy fire. Ship engine: ruptured. We will not be able to reach the capital. Orders regarding cargo sir?"

"Release it," said Graham with little hesitation. "We'll use a satellite signal to draw it to the mainland."

"Roger." The screen shut off and the Robot typed in a sequence on its console. This sequence caused a large red button to appear from the sidearm of the captain's chair. Flames started to reach the bridge. The Robot raised its fist, "Mutant # 433…" The flames began to surround its seat, "…Seamera, RELEASE!" It struck the button, just as the flames engulfed it completely.

XXXX

Inside the carrier's cargo-bay, a set of large circular eyes opened as the bay doors began to open. The creature inside reached its tendrils into the light as it eagerly sought release from its metal prison. Within seconds, its wish was granted.

XXXX

Looking on from outside, the fighter pilots watched as what appeared to be a massive egg-shape dropped from the carrier right before it exploded. They watched as the shape unfolded and revealed its true form. The mutant had the appearance of a gigantic sting ray with squid tendrils lining its underside and long, almost bird-like wings. Patches of skin along the wings began flashing and the creature took off towards the capital.

"Colonel," Reilly said into his Comm. "The ship launched a mutant. Permission to attempt intercept?"

"_Permission granted,"_ the colonel replied._ "Proceed with caution!"_

"Roger!" replied both pilots.

All the Odins tried firing at the creature. The laser fire caused little major damage, but the creature was easily annoyed at their actions. It thrust out its tendrils to knock the jets away. Two were knocked down, but the rest remained airborne and continued to attack. Suddenly, the glowing areas on the monster's wings shone brighter and flashed rapidly. Soon they let out a massive flash.

All the pilots had to block their eyes from the bright light. When they opened them again, they saw that the creature was diving into the ocean. They also all noticed that all their electronic equipment had completely shut off.

"Dammit!" Shouted Reilly. "Thing blew out our machinery."

As they lost altitude, Usagi managed to see the submerged silhouette of the creature headed towards the mainland. Instinctively, he reached for his Beta Capsule.

"Do you remember how to do an emergency manual water landing?"

Reilly's voice reminded Usagi that he wasn't alone. He couldn't transform with Reilly there. He'd have to try again another time. "Yeah, I got it," he finally replied, switching to emergency manual glide.

XXXX

Some time later, the pilots and their fighters were picked up from the ocean by rescue-lift choppers and were carried back to the base. Reilly and Usagi learned that the creature was being held back by the navy division and that they were fighting a losing fight. Once back, Reilly and Usagi relayed the experience to their team and the Colonel.

Donahue immediately had a theory. "Based on what visual data we could get of the creature, it seems to be a mix of various aquatic life-forms. The most obvious are of course a ray and a squid. But it also might have an amphibious breathing system so it can survive in and out of water and a highly evolved wing structure that seems to still lack bones."

"How can something that massive fly under its own power?" Ask Janson. "Its physically impossible."

"Not if what I think is true is. And once those tests on the ships' hulls come back I should know for sure."

"Know what?" Asked the Captain.

Donahue continued, "I believe this creature may have an electric shock gland like on an eel that is capable of producing massive amounts of electrical energy. My theory is that it uses electro-magnetic waves to charge the atmosphere under its wings to give it lift and propulsion. And if it were all let out at once, the result would be a massive EMP (Electro Magnetic Pulse). Hence the massive electronics failure."

"It also explains why it took the dive," replied Reilly.

"It ran out of power," Usagi said in connection.

"Does this mean it should be easier to handle?" Asked the Colonel.

"Not by a long shot sir," replied Donahue. "This thing'll likely be eating large amounts of food and seeking out electrical energy sources in order to recharge itself. Seems like a logical assumption that whoever made it programmed the instincts to seek out these things should it use its EMP."

Suddenly realizing that the VICTORY subs had electrical generators, the Colonel turned on the Comm. "Control room, tell the subs to retreat, immediately!"

"_Yes sir."_

"Okay Corporal," He continued to Donahue. "I want some answers now. How do we stop this freak-fish?"

Suddenly, the console at Donahue's station beeped, signaling an incoming message. Donahue held up an index finger, signifying this would take a minute. He went to his console and pulled up the message. He smiled as he read the data shone before him. "Well," he said. "My theory has been proven correct. Scans show definite signs of a massive EMP. And data from the sensors on the planes confirm that the source was the monster." Smiling wider he said, "We even have the exact charge of the pulse. Perfect!"

"What does this all mean?" Asked the Captain.

"Well…" Donahue continued, "If we can force the monster into useing its EMP again, and then create an EMP with the exact opposite charge, we can neutralize its EMP, then once its drained itself…"

"Kablam!" Shouted Reilly, "Giant fish-fry!"

"Kyodai kalamari," Replied Usagi.

"One dead fish." Finished the Colonel. "What do you need Corporal?"

"I'll need a fusion generator and a couple of hours to fix up an EMP device."

"You have until one hour after it reaches the mainland. We'll hold it off with Vikings as long as we can. They don't rely too much on electronic devices. But we need that thing, or else the capital will be turned to rubble. Understand?"

Donahue stood totally upright, as if rebelling against the incredible weight that had just been placed on his shoulders. "I can do it sir!"

The Colonel then turned to the others. "VICTORY STAND BY!"

"ROGER!"

XXXX

Donahue and his crew never rushed a job faster than this one. As soon as the meeting ended, reports of the monster reaching land arrived and VICTORY readied for combat. The plan was that the Vikings would try to limit damage and eventually lure the monster into the trap. Once it was drained, Odins would fly in and finish the job.

XXXX

Colonel Xander, Captain Hayata, and Corporal Janson waited for Donahue at the trap point while Usagi and Reilly circled above in their repaired Odin along with the other fighters, a safe distance away from the monster.

The creature had flown into the city and landed in one of the wider streets. It used its tendrils to walk and cause damage to the surrounding buildings. The Vikings took shots at the creature, but tried to avoid making it too angry and having it discharge too soon. The creature noted the tanks and swatted at them with its tendrils. One of the tanks was crashed underneath the massive limb, while the others were knocked away with a simple swipe.

Soon, Donahue arrived at the trap point in a large truck which carried the EMP Device in its trailer. "She's all set!" He said as his crew began lifting the large fusion generator out of the car. "We're ready!"

The Colonel picked up his radio. "Vikings, draw the creature to trap point. Odins, move in. Let's wrap this up."

"_Roger!"_

The mutant followed the remaining tanks straight into the trap zone. As soon as it was in range, the Odins flew in and laced the creature's flesh with laser scars. It wasn't long before the creature grew enraged and its wings started glowing.

"That's it you ugly fucker!" Said Donahue. "Vent some frustration. Activate the device!"

In synchronous, the two pulses were released. As Donahue predicted, the pulses cancelled each other out and the creature found itself losing all of its power.

"It's working!" Donahue shouted.

The Colonel spoke into the radio again, "Odins! Finish it!"

Missiles rained down on the fish based monster, who could barely stand. It felt itself grow weaker and its instincts drove it to find new energy. It didn't have to look far. Its senses told it were it could find plenty of energy. Going so far as to strain itself, the creature reached out and grabbed the fusion generator/EMP Device.

All Donahue could say (aside from "GET DOWN!" as the device flew over their heads) was, "Didn't quite see that coming."

The creature dug two of its tendrils into the electrodes of the generator. Immediately it felt the pleasant (to it) serge of new energy filling its body. Bolts of electricity shot out from it causing major damage to the surrounding buildings.

"SHIT!" Shouted the Captain. "Instead of draining its energy, we just gave that fucker all the power it could ever need!"

"It gets worse sir!" Shouted Donahue. "Accessing its power like that is making the generator unstable! If we don't do something… it'll explode, and take the whole city with it!"

XXXX

More bolts shot from the creature. Usagi tried his best to dodge them but it was taking his piloting to its limits. Eventually, a bolt struck. Sparks shot out from exploding panels. Usagi shut his eyes for an instant. Opening them again, he tried his hardest to stabilize the fighter. "Reilly!" He shouted in desperation. "I'm losing control! We may have to bail!" He waited, but received no response from his partner. "Reilly?" He turned and saw Reilly unconscious. "Reilly?!" He reached back and felt for a pulse. Sure enough, there was one, and he was still breathing. Needing no other motivation, (save perhaps the rapidly approaching ground) Usagi reached into his jacket and pulled out the Beta Capsule. Holding it out in front of him, Usagi pressed the button on the capsule. Bright light filled the cockpit.

XXXX

From out of a shining red vortex, Ultraman emerged and grabbed the falling Odin. Carefully, Ultraman slowly reduced his speed and landed, placing the jet on the ground. He looked into the cockpit and could sense that Reilly would be okay.

"ULTRAMAN!"

The silver giant turned towards the sound of Donahue's voice. He had landed on the same street as the trap point. His powerful eyes could see the Science Patrol's gadget man just ahead, as well as the monster.

"ULTRAMAN! THE FUSION GENERATOR!"

Ultraman quickly noted that the generator was in the grasp of the monster. He didn't need to be a genius to know what would happen when that device went critical. The monster saw him as well and, instinctively recognizing him as a threat, focused a bolt of electricity at him. Ultraman endured the blast, but not without being forced onto his knees. The creature stopped, giving the giant hero a chance to vanish in a cloud of shining dust.

The beast moved its eyes about wildly looking for its foe. Suddenly, a flash of light erupted from below it and a shining fist flew up and stuck it right in the middle of its underside. The giant materialized up from the ground and grabbed the generator. The monster seemed unwilling to let go, sending electrical surges through their bodies. Ultraman threw the creature down on the ground and used an energy disk to cut off the tendrils holding the generator and stepped away from the beast. Holding the generator, Ultraman could now see that the struggling had made it unstable. Using his powers, he created a force field around it and blasted it into space, where it detonated safely a few minutes later.

The generator no longer a problem, Ultraman entered a fighting stance and turned full attention to his opponent. The beast pulled itself up using its tendrils and screeched at the giant hero. It prepared to send out more electricity, but Ultraman was ready this time. He thrust his hands together above him, and spread them to just beyond shoulder width, creating a line of energy between his hands. When the beast sent the shocks, Ultraman quickly bent down and touched his hands to the street, creating a near-transparent energy shield from his own energy. The shocks bounced harmlessly off the shield, which dissolved when the shocks stopped. He then released another energy disk, which cut all the tendrils out from under the monster. Without its means of hold on the ground, the monster flew up and away.

XXXX

The VICTORY soldiers, including the Colonel and Science Patrol, who survived the conflict thus far, watched as Ultraman took to the air and gave chase. All hoped silently that he'd be successful. And how they hoped.

XXXX

Ultraman caught up with the beast and began throwing several energy discs at it. The discs chased the beast, but it dodged them with surprising aerial skill, and then finally neutralized them with a powerful series of electrical bolts. Ultraman proved equally capable of dodging the bolts of energy thrown at him, but not so much when the beast rammed him full force and highly charged right in the stomach. The creature spun like a crazy electric top against Ultraman's body. Amidst the pain and the electric shocks, Ultraman noticed his color timer flashing.

Ultraman knew his time was running low. Luckily, the beast decided to pull back and gather speed for an even faster tackle. Ultraman took this as his last chance to finish the battle. Palms open, Ultraman brought his hands to his chest with the arms horizontal and in alignment. Light sparked between the hands, faint but noticeable. Then he brought the right hand to the side of his head, as if to create an energy disc. A bright light formed in his hand as the monster flew at him once again. With the beast perfectly in his sights, Ultraman thrust his right arm forward, tossing the energy at the spinning beast. The energy quickly began to solidify until it finally became very large and sharp energy disc. The disc passed right through the beast, but the creature appeared unfazed by this. It wasn't until it reached Ultraman and passed around him instead of hitting him, that one could tell it had been affected. Especially since it had passed around him on both sides.

The monster had been cut perfectly down the middle. Its dead halves began to fall silently to the earth. Ultraman turned about and began charging his finisher. He didn't want the massive electrical energy in the corpse to discharge in the city and cause more damage. After he finished charging, he brought his arms down in the plus-formation and fired the beam from his right hand. He blasted one part and then the other, causing both to explode in a massive ball of lightning. His timer flashing faster, Ultraman soared higher into the sky until he was no longer visible.

XXXX

On the ground, everyone watched the electric light show that was the monster's demise, and they watched Ultraman fly off into the atmosphere. As the Colonel and the Science Patrol continued to look on after his disappearance, they were brought out of their reverie by a familiar voice.

"Taicho! Colonel!"

The team and commanding officer turned and saw their youngest member carrying Reilly on his shoulder. He waved at the team and continued to move towards them. The others rushed towards their air-team.

"What happened," asked Janson, worried.

"You guys alright?" Donahue asked with equal worry.

"We're fine," Usagi replied. "Reilly might need medical attention."

The Colonel turned to another soldier and shouted, "Call the paramedics!"

"How bad is he?" asked the Captain.

"I think he was just knocked out," Usagi replied. "But it never hurts to check."

The medics arrived quickly. As the lifted him into the ambulance, Reilly came to. "What's going on?"

"Easy mate," replied Donahue. "You've had a hard time. Now you just need to rest."

"Remember what happened to you soldier?" asked the Colonel.

"I remember us getting hit. Then I thought I heard Shundou's voice. Then I saw a really bright light. After that, nothing. What happened?"

Usagi smiled. "Ultraman saved us all."

XXXX

Next time: The Science Patrol is dragged to Loch Ness to investigate unusual disappearances. Is this the fault of the legendary inhabitant of the Ness, or some other sinister force.

Kaiju in this chapter.

Mutant # 433 Seamera


	5. Chapter 4 Dark Happenings at Loch Ness

Disclaimer: I do not own Ultraman or any related properties. They belong to Tsuburaya Prod.

**_Ultraman the First_**

**Regenerate**

Chapter Four

The British Isles, 2200 Hours

Once, these islands were the home of one of the strongest and most widely spread political powers in the world. But that was long ago. After the unification of the European nations into Valhalla, all political power was moved into the new Capital City. The British Isles were abandoned, as their inhabitants followed the line of power into the Capital. Now, they were the front line of the battle between the Valhallans and the oppressive URE.

XXXX

In an abandoned village near the shores of a certain famous lake in what was once known as Scotland, a platoon of five VICTORY soldiers lay in wait in one of the buildings, where they awaited their mechanized adversaries. Outside, a fierce storm raged.

"Bloody cowards," said one of the soldiers. "Can't even fight their own wars. 'Ave to send their bloody machines to do their dirty work. Lousy…"

"Ease up soldier," Said the team commander. "Now isn't the time. Save it for the mechs."

"Just peeves me off is all. Bloody pathetic."

"Take it out on the metal heads, you'll feel better afterwards."

"Speaking of," said their female watchman.

A platoon of robot soldiers made their way through the rain. The machine-men scoured the village. The soldiers aimed their rifles at their foes and waited for the opposition to move into range. But as both sides readied for confrontation, lightning seared the sky. But the sound that followed wasn't thunder, but a terrible roar.

The soldiers, human and machine, found themselves staring up at the source of the roar that followed the lightning, just as the thunder reached their ears (and whatever the mechs used to hear). A massive form towered over the town and the ness. They couldn't make out it's form well, but they all knew it was a giant monster.

"Sonnovabitch!" Shouted one of the victory men.

"_This does not compute."_ Said the lead mech_. "We received no data on the release of a mutant in this sector."_

Their confusion was soon put aside as a massive flashing appeared near the top of the massive form. The light shined through the fangs of the reptilian beast, until it culminated into a stream of energy that began blasting away at the town.

"RUN FOR IT!"

Following their leader's order, the VICTORY soldiers ran as fast as they could away from the blast. The mechs took notice of this, but didn't have time to react before the blast consumed them.

Massive flames erupted in the wake of the blast. The soldiers hit the dirt as the flames shot over their heads.

Once the flames died out, the unit commander lifted his head. "Everyone alright?"

"Not everyone…" replied one looking back.

The commander looked too. He saw the scorched corpses of two of his men. They hadn't gotten far enough from the blast to survive. The rest were lucky if their uniforms were only singed.

"Commander!" Shouted the lookout, "The monster!"

The commander looked up and watched as the massive beast began to walk away. It slowly descended into Loch Ness.

The commander sullenly and painfully stood, along with his remaining troops. "We have to tell headquarters about this."

XXXX

"We have a strange situation on our hands team," said Captain Hayata as he addressed the members of the Science Patrol. "We received word from one of our units on the British front that a monster was seen on the island."

"Is it heading here sir?" asked Reilly.

"Surprisingly, no. According to them, it seems to have holed itself up in—get ready for it—the Loch Ness."

"Wow, the irony is astounding," Said Donahue.

"Hope Nessie doesn't the company," Joked Reilly.

"What's a lockness? And who's Nessie?"

The eyes of everyone in the room turned to the sole female member of Science Patrol. Janson soon felt extremely self conscious. She had no idea what she had said, but it seems like it was a bad thing.

"What did I say?" She asked finally.

"You're kidding us, right mate?" asked Reilly.

"Here I thought _she_ was the other smart one around here," mumbled Donahue.

"What?" she asked in frustration.

"How can you not know about the Loch Ness?" Asked Reilly.

"Is it something I should know?"

"I can't do it. It's just too unbelievable," Said Donahue, exasperated.

"Shundou, you do it," said Reilly "You're Tendouese, it'll be easier on you."

Usagi turned to Janson with a calmer demeanor than her other teammates. He seems almost amused at their overreaction to the situation. "The Loch Ness," he began, "is a lake on the British Isles. It used to be a popular tourist spot when the lands were occupied because of this old legend that a living plesiosaur resided in the lake; the Loch Ness monster, or "Nessie" as they called it. Scientists and crypto-zoologists spent years studying the lake, but never found any definite proof of the monster's existence. But a lot of hard core Nessie fanatics still believe the monster is real and that it still lives inside the Ness."

"Well no wonder I never heard of it," Said Janson, indignantly. "Sounds like a load of bollocks to me."

"How can you say that?" Asked Reilly. "It's part of our British heritage."

"For one," she said, "My ancestors are primarily French, not British…"

"Figures," said Donahue.

After huffing at Donahue's statement, Janson continued, "…secondly, I never indulged in that fantasy nonsense. I was always studious and only studied facts, not fiction."

"Boring!" Reilly and Donahue said in unison.

"AHEM!"

The team turned their attention back to Captain Hayata, left long forgotten by his bickering comrades.

"While I'm certain," he said, "that this crypto-zoological history lesson is very important, the fact remains that we have a monster sighting to investigate. Gentlemen and lady, we're going up to the front lines."

"Yes!" Said Reilly. "Finally some action."

"Let's move out!" said the captain.

The team stood up.

"VICTORY, Stand by!"

"Roger!"

XXXX

Several hours later, three Odins flew over the sea to the British Isles. Usagi flew with Reilly, Janson was flown by the captain, and Donahue flew solo. They arrived and vertically landed at the VICTORY field base. The base consisted of several camouflaged tents with armed and camo-wearing VICTORY soldiers. When the Science Patrol's fighters landed, the team got out and was greeted by the unit commander, Col. Reese.

"Nice to have you boys drop by," He said. Then he took notice of Janson and said, "Begging pardon …boys and _girl_ could drop by."

"Nice to see you again Reese," replied the captain.

They followed Col. Reese through the camp.

"To be honest," he said. "I'm both a mite worried and a mite excited. Never thought we'd get one of those beasties in our neck of the war."

"Are you certain it's still in the Loch?" Asked the captain.

"Positive. I sent a patrol over there and get reports every hour. So far the water's calm. 'Avn't seen hide nor scale of it since my troops first encountered it."

"What if it burrowed out of the lake without your notice?" asked Donahue, recalling the serpentine Edenodon.

"Nope," Reese replied. "After that first one slipped past our line, the brains back home sent us seismographic gear to help us keep an eye out for these buggers. So far not so much as a tremor." He graciously pointed out the seismograph gear in one of the tents. As both Donahue and Janson could tell you, they had little activity.

"Can you take us to a lake?" Asked the captain.

"Sure," relied Reese. "In fact," he trailed off as he noticed someone entering camp, "here comes Johnson, he'll take you right there."

Johnson, the soldier who entered the camp, ran right up to the Colonel and saluted. "Privet Johnson reporting sir."

Reese saluted back. "At ease son." Then he motioned to Hayata's team. "This is the Science Patrol. HQ sent them to help deal with our new neighbor. Can you lead them to the loch?"

"Yes sir," the soldier replied. "But sir…"

"Yes son?"

"We've been having trouble with the locals again."

"Locals?" asked Usagi in surprise. "I thought the Isles were abandoned years ago."

"They were," said the Colonel, "at least for the most part. But it turns out that there are a few remaining isolationist groups that refused to cross over with the rest. Far as we can tell, they've set up a ruralistic society."

"Then the war started," stated Reilly.

"Exactly. Naturally we've offered them a free ride to the mainland, but they refuse to leave. Instead, they keep trying to give us the boot. They say they can take care of themselves. I say they're in over their heads."

"We'll keep that in mind," replied Hayata. "Let's move."

XXXX

"How far Privet?"

"Not far now sir," Johnson replied to the captain.

They had only been traveling ten minutes into the woods at this point. The camp wasn't far from the Loch, a less than twenty minute jog.

"What can you tell us about the locals?" asked Reilly.

"Oh, they're okay folks," replied Johnson. "They just like peace and quite is all. Can't blame'em for being cross. I know I wouldn't want a war raging next to my home if I hadn't agreed to it." Then they broke through the trees. "Well, here she be. The Loch Ness."

Everyone stared as the broad and beautiful lake came into view. Everyone was taken by the great landscape that laid out before them.

"The others are this way," said Johnson. "Follow me."

XXXX

After a quick stop to meet the other scouts, Reilly, Usagi, Donahue, and Janson followed Johnson to the attack site while the captain awaited their return at the watchpoint. Once they arrived, Donahue took out his element analyzer and immediately began to study the scorched land. The others watched and waited to see if any opposition came on them.

"Say, Johnson," Said Janson. "What do you think of Nassie?"

"Huh?" He grunted. "Oh, you mean Nessie?"

"Yeah. I mean, you guys hang around here a lot. Anyone claim to see him?"

Johnson looked over her head (she's only about four and a half feet tall) and looked questioningly at the others. _Is she serious?_ His eyes seemed to say.

"Frenchie," was what Reilly said in response.

_Ah,_ Johnson silently stated as he continued, "First off lass, Nessie's always referred to as _she_. And as for seeing her… Well, there are always a few guys who say they see something sticking out of the lake at night, but never anything definite. So far, the only monster in that Loch that I know of for sure is the one that did this."

"Did you see it?" Asked Usagi.

"Yep," replied Johnson. "Got the partially scorched uniform and second degree burns to prove it."

"Only second?" replied Donahue as he walked up to them. "That's impressive, all things considered."

"Find something?" Asked Janson.

"Plasma burns," replied Donahue. "What you boys reported as lightning shooting out of its mouth was really bursts of plasma. Nasty."

"There's something else," Johnson said. "To be honest, I have no idea why it didn't hit me before. Maybe it's just being here again…"

"What is it?" Usagi asked with interest.

"The mechs," Johnson continued. "The ones we were fighting. I'm sure I heard them say they didn't know the monster would be there."

"That's weird," replied Reilly. "From what I heard, URE soldiers are satellite linked. If URE sent a monster out, they'd be automatically updated."

"A mystery for a later time," replied Usagi. "We have to report to Hayata-taicho."

"Right, lets move."

But, just as they readied to leave, the sound of a gunshot rang through the air and dust was kicked up by the bullet just in front of them. Soon they realized they were surrounded by at least a dozen people with shot guns. They were all dressed in old fashioned rural clothes and they all had their guns pointed at the VICTORY soldiers.

One man, apparently in his mid forties, walked up to them. "Get off our land," he said in a heavy Scottish accent.

"I'm guessing," said Reilly, "that these good folks are the locals."

"Yep," replied Johnson.

"That's right," The man continued. "And we want you wankers off our land. Take your bloody war with you."

"Look sir," said Usagi, "no one wants this war, least of all us who are fighting it," he motioned slightly to Johnson. "But you have to realize that it's not as simple as you think. The war won't just go away."

"Yeah," said Reilly. "As of right now these islands are the front lines. They're a key defense point in this war. If we leave, the URE will plow right over you guys. Don't you see, the only way you lot will be safe is if you leave."

"We don't need your protectin' no more," replied the man. "We have protection of our own."

"You think shotguns will save you from mech soldiers?" asked Janson.

"No," replied the man. Then he pointed to the Loch. "But he will."

They looked at the calm lake. They knew what he was implying but found it unbelievable that he thought that.

"You think that thing's going to protect you?" Asked Usagi. "That's nuts."

"Of course he will. He's a gift from the Loch. Just like his mum, he watches over us. He will strike down those who would oppress us."

"Should be coming up soon chief," said a young local man, looking at an old fashioned wristwatch.

The man looked intensely at the lake as he spoke to the VICTORY soldiers, "You lot are going to want to see this."

A few seconds passed. Then the water started bubbling, then a violent explosion of water erupted from the Loch. A massive form emerged from the water. It stood on two stocky legs. It appeared tyrannosaurus-like at first. The major differences were that it's arms were longer and the forearms were fin-like with long, clawed fingers. A long fish-like dorsal fin lined its back. Its head was reptilian, and a large frill encircled its neck. It's skin was a dark green with orange and yellow patches on its stomach and the crown of its head. It roared loudly into the air.

"Behold, my friends," said the man. "Jirass! The guardian of the highlands. The great beast of the Loch."

Jirass roared again into the sky. The VICTORY soldiers were speechless. All except for Janson, whose only words were, "My god…"

XXXX

Captain Hayata looked on from a distance at the reptilian horror that had just emerged from the Loch. "Kaiju da."

XXXX

Jirass roared into the air again. It shifted around in the water then slowly lowered itself back in. Within seconds, the water was calm. It was as if it had never been there.

XXXX

Some time later, the VICTORY soldiers found themselves being lead through the woods at gunpoint back to the base camp. As they walked, Usagi noticed a large house on the hill. From its vantage point, it would have a good view of the Loch and its surrounding lands. What really caught Usagi's notice was the satellite dish on its roof, as well as smoke coming from the chimney.

"Hey," he said, "who lives there?"

"The Doc," replied the man from before.

"The Doc?" inquired Donahue.

"Aye. The Doc came here some years ago lookin' fer our Nessie. What he found was just as good. Nessie's egg."

"That's where Jirass came from?" asked Reilly.

"Yes. Nessie's child. He trained it to protect us. You should tell your bosses if they want to avoid unwanted deaths, they should leave us alone."

Suddenly, a series of low flying fighters swooped over their heads. All the gunmen were distracted and the well trained VICTORY soldiers quickly took advantage of the distraction. They knocked down their captors and started running. Reilly and Usagi drew their side arms and loaded stun-shells, (an invention of Donahue's, meant to be used as crowd control; rubber bullets that are non fatal but house a mini tazer stunner). They fired rounds which knocked out some of their captors.

Janson, Donahue and Johnson managed to escape into the woods while Usagi and Reilly headed up the hill to the Doc's, hoping to learn more.

"Boss," said one of the remaining men to the speaker. "What'll we do now."

"Leave'em," replied the boss. "They know our demands. Let's just get the wounded back to the village."

"What about Doc?" said another man. "I saw two of them head up to his place."

The boss picked up one of the fallen men. "Ne'er mind Doc. He can take care of himself. Ev'ry one back to the village."

XXXX

Reilly and Usagi reached the hillside house and, with rifles drawn, ran in. They scanned the house but found it empty. They nearly gave up when…

"Shundou!" called Reilly from the kitchen.

Usagi ran to the kitchen to find Reilly pushing aside the refrigerator and revealing a door. After trying the knob and finding it locked, they aimed their laser rifles at the door and blasted it open. The two entered into the hidden cellar and shifted through the darkness. Just as they entered into a brighter and more open area, Usagi was knocked down by an unseen force.

"Shundou!" exclaimed Reilly. He helped Usagi into an upright position. "You okay mate?"

"Nnnn… yeah," Usagi groaned. "What hit me?"

Reilly stood up and pulled a bullet from his belt. The bullet was tossed to where Usagi was standing, but then a wave of energy appeared in mid-air and knocked it back towards them. "Force-field," Reilly observed.

"Very good officer."

The voice originated inside the room which they had just entered. A middle-aged man in a lab coat with brown hair appeared from the darkness. He stood on the other side of the barrier.

"With a war going on outside," he said, "one can't be to careful with home security."

"Who are you?" Reilly demanded.

"I am Dr. Robert Martin, PhD."

This got Usagi's attention. "Dr. Martin? The geneticist who disappeared a year ago?"

"The very same."

"Whoa," replied Reilly. "Ron talks about you all the time. Says you were one of the best in your field; then you suddenly vanished. He also said you had an interest in dinosaurs…"

"That's true," replied the doctor. "I was fascinated with dinosaurs. They were the center of my research." He moved towards a wall in the cave. "For years I tried to clone a dinosaur using genetic samples we'd gathered over the years, but to no avail.

"Then one day, Dr. Greyves—a colleague of mine who you may remember also went missing a year ago—made a strange claim. He claimed that he had found genuine proof of the Loch Ness monster's existence during an expedition here. But no one took him seriously and the proof was never looked at or even bothered with at all. At first I, like my peers in the scientific community, was skeptical of his claim. But I had known the man for many years. I knew Greyves was not prone to wild, unjustified statements without some proof. When I asked privately to see his proof, I was astounded."

He then flipped a switch on the wall. The switch illuminated a glass case which held a large hatched eggshell, much larger than any ordinary egg. This shocked Reilly and Usagi to no end.

"The eggshell of a plesiosaur," the doctor continued. "Fresh, unfossilized, genuine proof of the existence of such a creature still living in the lake. Safe to say we were both ecstatic. We immediately set out for the British Isles in hopes of finding the monster itself.

"Using submersible vehicles we found undersea caves in the Loch. It was there we found a massive nest, with new eggs waiting to be born." He moved over to another wall in the secret lab. "It was there that inspiration struck me. What if I could use these eggs, cross breed them with the DNA of other dinosaurs before they were fully developed? What if I used real dinosaur eggs to clone new dinosaurs?"

"That's nuts!" exclaimed Reilly.

"…And unethical," stated Usagi.

"That's what my partner said," The doctor replied. "Greyves said we had no right to do anything to these creatures without at least discussing it with our peers." His voice grew more agitated as he went on, "I knew that my idea would be rejected, but I had worked all my life towards the goal of reviving the dinosaurs and now I had found a way. I would not be denied my right as a scientist. I knew Greyves would never agree to this and that he would inform the authorities of this matter. So I decided that he needed to be removed from the picture entirely."

"My God!" said Usagi. "You killed him?"

"You sick bastard!" Reilly exclaimed in disgust.

The doctor continued as if he hadn't heard them, "Over the course of several months I worked night and day to make my theories work. When straight cloning seemed to fail, I began trying to create hybrids to fill in any genetic gaps." He turned on another light, revealing glass tubes with the corpses of various dinosaur hybrids, still in their infantile stages, floating in formaldehyde inside. "Still, failure upon failure befell me. Then, finally, one of my experiments bore fruit. From the very last of the eggs, my success was born."

"Jirass," said Usagi contemptuously.

"A name the people have given him," the doctor replied. "A bit of a play on the word Jurassic. The people don't know he's a mutant. I told them his appearance is natural and they believe me." His voice became softer. "I really do care for them you know; these people. That's why when it became clear that war was brewing, I began injecting Jirass with enhanced growth hormones in order to increase his size and strength. As an unexpected bonus, one of his glands mutated, giving him the ability to spit plasma. With his strength, no one would dare strike here again."

"That's crazy!" Shouted Usagi, standing up. "There's no way in hell you can control that thing."

"Ah how wrong you are," replied the doctor as he moved to the back of the chamber. Once there, he turned on a massive computer control station. The monitors came alive giving out video-feeds of the outside and satellite readings. "Thanks to a special chip in his skull, I can control Jirass' actions to a sizable degree. By manipulating the chemicals in his brain, I can simulate the danger instincts inherent in all animals and drive him to attack anyone I wish." He then looks up at a monitor and sees Odins flying over the Loch. "It seems your comrades have called in help. Now they will pay for disturbing the peace here." He began typing in commands into his computer. "Rise Jirass," he said darkly. "Rise and destroy those who stand against us!"

XXXX

The Loch began to shift as its largest occupant began to rise from the depths. Jirass emerged from the water and roared its fury.

In the distance, Captain Hayata, Col. Reese and their troops watched as the monster arose from the Loch.

Reese picked up a radio, "All fighters, engage the monster!"

The jets flew at Jirass and lasers blazed against the monster's hide. Jirass replied by releasing its plasma breath on the fighters. Several were blown away by the beam of plasma. The others came at it with missiles, which cause some damage, but not enough.

XXXX

"Fools," said the doctor maniacally. "Jirass cannot be beaten!"

XXXX

One of the fighters moved behind the massive reptile and targeted the back of its head, just below the neck frill. The missile was launched and hit dead on. Jirass roared in searing pain as something hidden inside its body began to fail.

XXXX

The feedback from the destroyed chip began to affect the doctor's computer. Sparks were flying as the doctor's computer overloaded from the feedback.

"NO!" He cried. "JIRASS!!!"

The barrier which held Usagi and Reilly shut off, but once they realized that the computer was going to blow, they grabbed the doctor and headed out. The doctor watched in shock as all his work was consumed in flames as the computer blew.

XXXX

Reilly and Usagi pulled the doctor out as the flames from the blast began to reach the house.

Reilly looked back. "The chip's destruction," he observed, "must've caused the satellite system to malfunction. It must've needed a strong signal to reach the beast."

"And without something to signal to," Usagi finished, "the signal doubled back on itself and overloaded the computer."

They looked as Jirass' roar reached them from down the hill. They could see it moving out of the Loch and onto land, following the direction of the unknown thing which just attacked it. At first they were relieved that it was heading away from the base camp, until Reilly noticed a clearing in the monster's path. He pulled out a set of high-tech binoculars and turned them towards the clearing. Sure enough he saw small rural houses and farms.

"Shit!" he exclaimed. "The beastie's headed towards the village."

"What'll we do?" Asked Usagi.

"I don't… uff!"

Suddenly, Dr. Martin elbowed Reilly, causing him to loose grip. The doctor pulled free of Usagi and ran into the woods. They lost sight of him.

"I'll handle the doc," Usagi said, rifle drawn. "You better warn the villagers; and tell the Odins to try and hold it off or change its course."

"Right," Reilly said. He jogged a few feet towards the village before stopping and calling back, "Take care of yourself Shundou!"

"Hai!" Usagi called back.

XXXX

Reilly ran down the hill at a good pace. He activated his comm. "All fighters, this is Lieut. Maxwell Reilly of Science Patrol. Listen, I need you to try to slow that thing down as much as you can. It's on a direct course with the local village. I'm gonna try to evacuate but I need time."

"_Roger Lieut. We'll do what we can."_

"Thanks mates." Reilly continued running. _Where's Ultraman when we need him?_

XXXX

Usagi ran through the woods, looking for the doctor. He spotted him for a second and fired stun rounds. The rounds missed and the chase continued.

XXXX

As the jets distracted Jirass, slowing his progress, Reilly reached the village. The people were shocked by his arrival as he stopped to catch his breath.

Once he settled down enough, he shouted, "Everyone! You need to get out of here now! Jirass is headed this way!"

"Fool," said the leader. "this is your retribution for disturbing the Ness. Jirass is our salvation from all this. He will never attack us!"

"That's not true," Reilly exclaimed. "The device Dr. Martin used to control it has been destroyed. If you don't leave you'll all die."

"Ridiculous," cried a woman. "Jirass protects us! He is the guardian of the…"

"Look at that thing!!!" Reilly shouted, pointing at Jirass while it destroyed more fighters. "It's a monster! A freak of science created by a man with no respect for nature or scientific ethics! It's no divine protector! It's an animal driven by raw instinct; and right now its instincts are driving it this way! You have to leave!"

"Our people lived here for hundreds of years," said the chief contemptuously, "and you expect us to just leave?"

"I expect you to make a choice," Reilly continued, "the smart choice. What's more important? Traditions of he past?" He pointed to a group of children huddling around their mother, "Or your children's futures?"

The chief looked at the scared children, then turned and relized why they were scared. Jirass was still drawing closer. For the first time he saw how truly menacing it was. He sighed as he resolved what to do. Then he turned to his people and said, "Everyone evacuate. Tell your neighbors. Take nothing save your family, don't weigh yourself down. Move now!"

Reilly sighed in relief as everyone began running. People informed family and friends to run and everyone was moving out.

XXXX

Usagi stopped searching and watched as Jirass drew ever closer to the village. _Damn,_ he thought._ Even if they escape the village they'll never outrun it._ He holstered his gun and reached into his vest._ Martin can wait. It's time to step up._ He pulled out the Beta Capsule.

XXXX

Reilly and the chief worked hard to move out everyone. They made sure there were no starglers and that all the children had adults looking after them. Reilly turned and looked up in horror. Jirass was standing high over the clearing and was charging plasma in its mouth.

"Damn!" he shouted. "We're too late!"

Jirass readied to let loose…

XXXX

Usagi brought the capsule to his chest, then brought it to his right side holding his left hand over it, then put his left hand by his right hip as he raised the capsule into the air and pressed the switch…

XXXX

In a flash a red vortex appeared. From that vortex a silver and red giant emerged. _"Shiaah!"_

XXXX

…Just as Jirass was about to fire, a silver hand grabbed its neck and pushed it back so the plasma shot into the atmosphere. The beast broke free of the hand, turned to its right and found itself face to face with Ultraman.

XXXX

The chief looked on in amaze at the silver armored giant. "What it that?" He asked Reilly, stunned.

Reilly smiled. "That, sir, is Ultraman. Our true protector."

XXXX

"Captain!" shouted Donahue, looking across the lake, "Ultraman's here!"

"About damn time,' replied the Captain stoically as he dragged on a cigarette. He watched the giant superhero get into a fighting stance. _Tatakae, Urutoraman._

XXXX

Ultraman stood his ground. Jirass roared at the silver warrior, its natural instincts lableing him a threat. Jirass swung its claws at Ultraman, who blocked said claws and kicked Jirass in the gut. Ultraman back-flipped into a fighting stance again as Jiass stumbled. The beast shot plasma at the hero as Ultraman dodged left, letting the plasma hit the side of a hill, kicking up many rocks. Once upright, Ultraman threw an energy disk at the beast which painfully struck its neck frill. Ultraman ran up to the beast and grabbed the injured frill and tugged on it. This caused Jirass much pain. Finally, Ultraman yanked os hard he yanked a large section of the frill off. Jirass roared in pain and anger as blood poured from where the frill was formerly connected.

Ultraman tossed down the frill as Jirass charged at him. The dinosaur-monster tackled Ultraman to the ground and chopped at him with its fin-like forearms. Ultraman knocked it off; but before he could get up, Jirass fired its plasma at him. Ultraman cried out as the plasma burned his body. As the blast continued, Ultraman's color timer started flashing.

XXXX

"What's that red light mean?" asked the chief.

Reilly answered, "It means he's running out of time."

XXXX

Ultraman managed to get to his knees as Jirass readied to fire upon him again. Before it could though, Ultraman brought his hands to his left side and held his right hand over his left. A beam emitted from the left hand and collided with the released plasma and pushed it back until both beams collided with Jirass' face. The beast roared in pain.

Ultraman ran up and grabbed Jirass. Then, with unbelievable strength, he lifted it and threw it at the hill.

XXXX

The doctor was still running as another shock wave hit the hill. He turned towards the source and saw his creation. He ran towards the creature, shouting its name.

Jirass, with its exceptional hearing, detected the sound of the doctor's voice. When it saw him, its mind was flooded with memories. At first they were pleasant memories of its adolecence, the doctor nurturing it like its parent. Then the memories turned gruesome as it recalled the doctor poking and prodding it, cutting into its head and leaving the painful chip, then injecting it with the painful hormones that caused its mouth to burn and its body to painfully stretch. In its rage it brought its claw down on the man. The doctor screamed as justice was served upon him.

"JIRASS!!!!!"

XXXX

Jirass stood up, its claw red with fresh blood. Ultraman didn't see this. He punched the creature in the face and chest, driving it towards the Loch. Jirass painfully charged its plasma again; but Ultraman ran right up to it and formed and thrust an energy disk right into its chest. Rather than plasma, Jirass spat out blood. It staggered backward as its wound drained of blood.

Ultraman thrust his arms to the left and them raised them crossed over his head, charging his finisher. Jirass tried moving towards him, but it was too late. _Specium Slayer…_ Ultraman brought his arms into the plus position _…Light Stream!_ The white stream of specium shot from his hand at Jirass. The blast hit it and the creature fell, dead; its body was set aflame. Ultraman looked about for a second until he found the frill he had torn off his opponent. He threw it into the flames, nodded and, with his timer flashing faster and faster, leaped into the air and flew off into the sky. _"Shuuwat!"_

XXXX

Some hours later, the Science Patrollers stood on the shores of the Loch Ness. They watched the calm waters as locals were being moved into aerial transports behind them.

Reilly spoke up, "I'm glad the chief agreed to move his people to the agricultural providence on the mainland. They'll have good jobs there and can return here after the war ends."

"If the war ends," replied Janson, sullenly.

"You have to believe that it will Janson," remarked Usagi. "Belief gives people strength."

"Like how this lot believed in the Ness?" said Janson, motioning towards the villagers. "That sure panned out well."

"It's true that they're belief proved to be ill placed," replied Reilly. "But I'm sure they'll find something sturdier to hold onto."

"Guys!" shouted Donahue. "Look!!" He pointed out into the Ness.

The others watched as a long, graceful neck reached high above the water in the near distance. The head looked about then dove back down with its neck, its large body, and its long, flipper-ended tail following. They all looked on in awe as the legend disappeared once again into the depths.

"Just have to believe," Usagi restated.

Janson smiled, as glimmer appeared in her eyes that she had thought left long ago.

XXXX

Yogata!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Finally I finished chapter four!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have to tell you. It's been a long time coming and I'm glad it's finally done. This may be one of my best chapters yet (and possibly my longest). Jirass is one of my favorites from the original Ultraman, if only because he's the closest we'll ever get to an Ultraman V.S. Godzilla battle. I changed his description to make him less of a Godzilla rip off for my story's purposes.

Next chapter: Escaped monsters are loose in the countryside. An invincible beast hunts a tiny creature who only wants peace. More classic monsters. Try to guess who. Also, the appearance of a new weapon to the VICTORY fleet.

Kaiju in this chapter:

Jirass (Duh)


	6. Chapter 5 The Lawless Monster Zone

**_Ultraman The First Regenerate_**

**Chapter 5**

Disclaimer: I don't own Ultraman, Tsuburaya does.

* * *

In the woods outside the city, a group of campers sat around their campfire, enjoying the evening. The three campers sang old camp songs and enjoyed the fresh air. They didn't notice that they weren't alone. They didn't notice the soft trotting footsteps of something in the woods as it drew closer. The female member of the group, feeling famished, went to the cooler to get a snack. When she did, she felt something bony and scaly in there with her. She also felt a burst of warm air on her face, which caused her to look up. What she saw caused her to scream in shock. She fell back on her bottom.

Her friends ran up to her. "You okay Sandy?" one asked.

"Yeah," she said. "But there was something stealing our food."

"What was it?" asked the other friend. "Was it a 'coon?"

"I have no idea, but it definitely wasn't a raccoon."

The other friend looked into the cooler and recoiled in shock. "Bugger must've been damned hungry. It stole most of our food."

Before the others could retort, the ground below them began to shake violently. They found themselves unable to keep balance well as the pattern of short tremors shook underneath them.

"What's going on!?" Shouted Sandy.

As the shaking stopped, they suddenly became aware of a huge shape above them. The mountainous shape loomed above them, a pair of shining red orbs shining from its summit. A violent roar rang through the air.

"It's a monster!" Shouted one of the boys.

A burning glow began to form near the top of the towering form. The flaming heat made the monster's fanged mouth visible from inside The heat shot out as a fireball that soared over the campers heads and struck another mysterious shape. This shape extended, what appeared to be, wings from its sides. It gave out a powerful screech, revealing itself to be another creature.

The trio ran to their car and, leaving their things, drove out of the campsite, shortly before a huge foot crashed down on it. If they had looked back, they'd have seen the two giant figures locking in a violent struggle. The larger of the two tried to get a grip on the winged monster. The winged beast proved very difficult to keep a grip on. It flapped its wings at its foe; failing to leave the ground, but succeeding in partially knocking its foe off balance. Taking this chance, the winged creature charged its foe. Unfortunately, the larger beast had used its tail to keep balance against the gusts and had caught the winged beast by its right wing. With a violent tug and a powerful roar, the larger beast pulled the wing clear off the body. The creature gave a painful screech at the loss of its limb and the subsequent bite it received from its foe.

The winged beast tried to get away, and managed to break the grip; however it again became the victim of the other monster's fire blast. The creature fell to the ground, dead. The larger creature beat on its chest with its fists and roared in victory. It then leaned down and began to take advantage of the free meal that had presented itself.

* * *

Usagi and Reilly watched in amaze as the huge metal plate was lifted into position. They were witnessing the construction of a new aerial battleship in the VICTORY underground hanger. The machine was a gigantic white airship. At current, most of its armoring was in place and the massive vehicle was almost ready to be used.

"That is so totally wicked," said Reilly.

"Glad you like it," called Donahue as he walked up next to them on the walkway.

"I can't believe you helped design this Donahue," said Usagi.

"Well, me and a committee of twenty eggheads," Donahue replied with some false humility. "The Thor is gonna be the crown jewel of the fleet."

"Another tip off to Norse mythology?" asked Janson as she walked up to the trio.

Donahue shrugged, "Worked for the founders; it should work for us as well."

Janson looked up at the ship in awe. "It certainly is amazing."

Suddenly, their watch-comms started beeping. Each member held theirs up and turn it on.

"All Science Patrol members to ops; Priority One!" Called Capt. Hayata's voice on the comm.

The Patrollers reached the control room, greeted by Captain Hayata.

"We have a weird one this time team," he said.

"Compared to what we've dealt with before?" asked Reilly sarcastically.

"With little doubt," Hayata replied. He held up a remote to turn on the screen, but hesitated. "I should warn you, what you are about to see is quite… graphic."

He turned on the screen. Reilly and Donahue cringed in shock. Janson went wide eyed, before turning aside and losing the contents of her stomach on the floor. Usagi stared at the screen in shock. He had witnessed first hand death during Bemular's attack on the city, not just of his father but other innocents at the teeth of the monster. This experience still had not prepared him for such a thing. He could even feel an air of disgust from Ma'un.

What was on the screen was the maimed corpse of a winged monster. Huge sections of flesh were missing and blood flooded the entire forested area around it. The beast was most definitely dead.

"Last night," said Hayata, "a group of campers reported seeing two giant creatures in the woods. When VICTORY sent a search team, what they found was… well…" He looked towards the screen.

Reilly, who had been comforting Janson, looked to the captain. "What the hell could have done that?"

"Something bigger," Usagi replied. "And hungrier."

"Jesus Mary and Joseph," Donahue muttered.

"They want us to go out and look into this situation," continued Hayata. He looked over to the still quite unwell Janson. "Naturally we don't all have to go…"

"Thank you sir," Janson replied quietly.

"Reilly, Shundou, Donahue, you three take Odins and join the investigation team on the site."

The three young men stood and saluted. "ROGER!"

They all made to walk out of the command room. Reilly gently patted Janson's shoulder. "Feel better kid," he said kindly.

"Thanks," she replied.

* * *

The Odins flew high over the monster corpse. Usagi flew solo while Reilly transported Donahue. They landed and put on air masks to avoid the stench of the corpse. They joined the scientists around the border of the monster's blood.

"So," said Reilly, "what do you guys think it was?"

"My guess…" replied Donahue, "supper."

Reilly looked at his comrade with an annoyed look. "I could have told you that."

Usagi looked about the perimeter for any clue as to what they were facing. As he walked, he saw a black singe on the ground. He ran up to it and looked at it. Removing his mask for a moment, Usagi sniffed a bit of the soil. The scent of rotten eggs came to his attention.

"Sulfur," he muttered. He activated his wrist comm. "Donahue, do the scientists have any reason to think the creature would use burning sulfur as an offensive weapon?"

"_No,"_ came the reply._ "Why?"_

"Because I think our hungry target likes to use it to cook his meals. I just found a decent sized Sulfur burn on the ground."

"Hmm. Now that I think of it, some of the flesh does look burnt. At least we know one of the enemy's offensive capabilities."

"Right," Usagi replied. "I'm heading back."

Usagi made to leave, when he noticed movement in the woods. He drew his gun.

"Come on out!" He shouted.

Something poked its head from behind a tree. Usagi turned his aim towards it, but it slipped back.

_Usagi, wait._

Usagi restrained the urge to shoot.

_I don't feel any malevolence from it._

Running on Ma'un senses, Usagi holstered his rifle. Slowly and cautiously, he walked up to the tree. The creature popped out again for a moment before retreating again.

"It's okay," Usagi said in a calming tone. "I won't hurt you. Come on out."

The creature popped out again, this time lingering. The creature's body was covered in dark reddish scales. It's face sat in the middle of it's body, with a pair of bony hands jutting out just below it. It's stocky feet had ring-like layers going down to its reptillian feet. In total it was barely over four feet tall.

Usagi smiled at it, attempting to show non-hostility. "Hey there," he said kindly.

The little monster growled peacefully. It walked out into the open and slowly approached Usagi. Seeing it meant him no harm, Usagi petted the monster's scales.

"I don't suppose you could eat a giant bat-creature, could you?" Usagi asked humorously.

The little monster simply growled in a friendly manner.

Suddenly, the ground began to quake. The creature screeched in fear.

A gigantic creature stepped out of the near-by mountains. The beast was certainly dinosaur-like, but with some major variation. It's orangish body was highly muscular and had a similar ring-like structure as the little monster's legs. Atop its long neck was a very small head in consideration of its body proportions. Its arms were very long and had small, clawed hands. It roared and beat it chest as it walked towards the corpse of the winged monster.

At the investigation team camp, Reilly and Donahue watched the approach of the monster.

"I think our local gourmand came back for seconds," Said Reilly.

All the investigators evacuated as the monster shot fiery sulfur blasts in their wake. It then stepped on the corpse and roared, beating its chest with its claws.

Usagi watched the monster. He turned to see his new friend had run off. Quickly, Usagi reached into his jacket.

"Shundou!!"

Usagi turned to see his friends and the investigation team coming his way as they ran. He withdrew his hand from the jacket and joined them.

The monster turned to the Odins and shot heavy blasts at them, causing the unoccupied jets to explode. It then roared again and began walking back to the mountains.

* * *

Back at HQ, Captain Hayata and Janson were in the main command room with Colonel Xander. Donahue was on the main screen giving a report.

"…_then it just left," _he said._ "I'm certain the monster was acting territorially. It must have thought that the Odins were scavengers attacking its meal. If it is a URE mutant its programming is not very good. It's acting like a normal animal."_

"What'll happen when it finishes eating the other monster?" Asked Hayata.

Donahue shrugged. _"It'll likely migrate to scavenge for more food. If it does there's a possibility it'll move into a populated sector."_

"What do you suggest we do?" asked the Colonel.

"_Right now our best option is being fine-tuned in the hanger,"_ Donahue replied.

Xander nodded in agreement. "Thor." He turned to one of the techs. "Are they finished modifying it yet?"

"They will be shortly sir," replied the tech.

Xander looked at the remaining Patrollers. "I'm gonna take this thing into battle. Care to join me?"

"Of course," replied Hayata. He then turned to his subordinate. "Anne, I understand if you don't feel up to it. You're not really a combat officer and…"

"No, Captain," Janson replied. "I think I should go. I want to offer whatever help I can. After all, I am a VICTORY officer and a Science Patroller."

Hayata smiled with pride at her determination. Xander nodded in approval.

* * *

On the battlefield, the Patrollers and the VICTORY investigators had set up camp several miles from the monster corpse. The team sat down to have lunch and discussed the event.

"So," said Reilly to Donahue, "do you think the Thor can take down Red King?"

"Red King?" replied Donahue in confusion.

"The monster," Reilly clarified. "He's kinda reddish, and he beats his chest like King Kong." He pounded his chest a couple of times to dramatize it. "Red King, get it?"

"Looked more orangeish to me," replied Usagi as he bit into one of the provided sandwiches.

"Well, whatever," said Reilly as he put down his sandwich. "Well Ron?"

Donahue bit his sandwich and tried to speak through it. "Given that we only have a mild idea about its combat abilities and its overall endurance, it's not an exact thing." He swallowed his food. "Then again, this is the first time we've tested the Mjolnir."

"Mjolnir?" asked Usagi.

"The Thor's main weapon. A Specium based blaster gun, kind of like Ultraman's. It's got a bit more punch to it though, which, we hope, will make our lives easier."

"Sounds like my kind of weapon," said Reilly. He reached for his sandwich, only to find it was gone. He turned to see if it had fallen somewhere, but it had totally vanished. "Hey, someone swiped my sandwich!"

Donahue and Usagi got up, but as they did, they heard a shuffling behind them. They both turned and saw their food had disappeared. They all saw movement in the woods and ran after it. They ran as quick as they could. They nearly gave up until they heard munching behind a fallen tree.

They jumped the tree and found the little creature Usagi had met eating their food. It screeched in fright.

Reilly pulled his gun on it but Usagi held out his arm.

"Wait!" Usagi shouted. "He's not a threat." He turned to the creature and smiled warmly. "I was a bit worried about you, little friend. You ran off so suddenly."

"You know this thing?" asked Reilly skeptically.

"I met him when I found the Sulfer burn," replied Usagi.

"What is it?" asked Donahue with awe. "Some kind of mini-monster?"

"Why would the URE send something like this?" continued Reilly.

"Maybe he stowed away," said Usagi. "He's certainly small enough to have gone unnoticed."

The creature growled softly and gripped Usagi gently.

"Playful fella, ain't he?" said Reilly.

"Must not have gone through combat programming," replied Donahue.

Suddenly, the creature began to screech fearfully.

"What's wrong?" Asked Usagi.

Suddenly, the ground began to quake. A powerful roar echoed through the air.

Red King, as the monster was called by Reilly, began moving deeper into the woods. The Patrollers, followed by the mini-monster, came out to see this.

"It must have finished with the other monster," said Donahue. "It's seeking new food."

The monster looked down and saw the human camp. It shot flaming blasts at the camp, just missing the team. All the people ran in terror from it. Red King moved slowly to pursue, but was shot across its face.

Everyone turned to see a white battleship fly into view. Its stout wings were aided by Vtol jets which held the vehicle up. Emblazoned on top was the VICTORY logo. On the front, two small laser turrets fired beams at Red King.

Donahue smiled. "The Thor!" he exclaimed.

* * *

Inside the Vehicle, Colonel Xander, Hayata and Janson stood at the command station of the aerial fortress. Some odd dozen techs filled the cockpit and maneuvered the vehicle.

"Get a lock on the monster," Commanded Xander. "ready the Mjolnir!"

Digital crosshairs honed in and locked onto the monster.

"Target locked sir!" replied the tactical operator.

"Launch graviton anchors!" Xander replied.

A series of four devices launched into the ground attached to the ship with strong cables.

"Anchors secure sir!" said a tech. "Moving Mjolnir into position."

From the bottom of the craft, a large gun mechanically lowered. On the sides of the barrel were rotating cylinders which gave the device the appearance of a hammer.

"Mjolnir ready!" called the tech.

Xander nodded. "Charge and fire!"

The cylinders rapidly spun as light shone from the barrel of the gun. The light grew in intensity until a powerful white beam shot from it and struck Red King. Red King staggered in the face of the onslaught, but the beam seemed to disperse over its hide. It shot blasts of flame at the ship. The flames didn't penetrate, but it made for a bumpy ride.

"It's not working!" Janson shouted in panic.

"Stop firing!" commanded Xander. "Retract anchors and take evasive action!"

"Roger!"

The blast stopped and the anchors retracted. The Thor flew out of Red King's range. The Monster beat its chest victoriously and roared its dominance.

In the vessel, all was a bit panicked.

"Colonel!" called a tech. "We won't have full power to the Mjolnir for a couple of minutes! It's overheated!"

Hayata sighed in frustration. "And then what?"

Xander nodded in agreement. Their trump card had fallen through and they had no idea how to rectify it. _What's taking you kid?_

* * *

On the ground, Usagi and the others watched in shock as the Thor was driven back.

"It lost," said Donahue in dismay.

The monster began moving again.

Reilly spoke, "It's moving again, headed towards the neighboring towns!"

"Let's move!" said Usagi.

The others nodded and they all drew weapons. They ran in the same direction as the beast, randomly shooting at it, though having no impact. As they did, Usagi slipped away into the deeper woods. In the woods, Usagi holstered his gun and pulled the Beta Capsule from his jacket pocket.

A soft growl told him his new friend had followed him. He turned to see the creature looking at him with concern.

"Go hide in the woods," Usagi ordered. "It's not safe in the open."

The creature, having some understanding, nodded yes. Giving one last concerned growl, the creature ran into the woods.

Usagi nodded in approval, then turned and raised the capsule above his head. He pressed the switch.

* * *

In a red vortex of light, Ultraman appeared. He leaped up and kicked Red King to the ground. The monster got up quickly and growled angrily at the red and silver hero.

On the ground, Donahue and Reilly looked up and smiled at the arrival of the giant hero.

"Ultraman!" Reilly exclaimed.

In the Thor, the sentiment was shared amongst the crew.

Ultraman moved into his battle stance and faced off against Red King. Red King beat its chest in challenge and ran at Ultraman. The fight started as a grapling match between the two. Ultraman pushed the beast of and kicked it in the stomach. He followed through with a kick to its small head. The monster stumbled before regaining balance and shooting fire balls at Ultraman. The hero back flipped out of the way of the bursts. When enough quarter was given, he threw an energy disk at the monster.

Amazingly, the disk broke up against the beast's hide. Ultraman gasped at the fact that this hadn't worked. The monster charged him again. Ultraman dodged and kicked down the muscular reptile. Taking the opportunity provided by the monster's grounded postion, Ultraman thrust his arms to the left, charging his finisher. The monster got up as Ultraman raised his arms over his head. _Specium Slayer Light Stream!_ Ultraman brought his arms down into the plus pose and shot out the energy blast.

Again, the beam disbursed over Red Kings body, just like the Mjolnir's. As Ultraman stopped firing, Red King struck him across the face, knocking the hero down. It stomped on his back as his Color Timer began to flash. _BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

* * *

On the ground, Donahue watched this in amaze. "Sweet Mary," he murmured.

* * *

On the Thor everyone watched as Ultraman was attacked by the beast.

"Ultraman!" Janson exclaimed in panic.

Xander called to the tactical team, "Fire on the monster, help Ultraman!"

"Roger!"

The Thor flew in and shot at the monster. Red King turned and blasted back.

"We need a plan," said Xander in exasperation.

Donahue's image suddenly came on the view screen. _"Colonel!"_

"Donahue?" said Hayata in surprise.

"What is it Lieutenant?" asked Xander.

"_The monster's hide is Specium resistant,"_ he replied. _"You need to pierce it somehow."_

"We figured that," replied Xander. "any ideas?"

Donahue scratched his chin in thought. _"A point blank blast of the Mjolnir, or something equal to that, might overcome the resistance and created a breach. From there, all you'd need to do is blast it in the wound and it would be finished."_

"No good," said Xander. "Thor wasn't built for point-blank shots."

Hayata nodded in agreement. "Then it's all up to Ultraman."

Janson folded her hands in a sort of prayer. "Please, Ultraman…"

* * *

Ultraman struggled to his feet. He was extremely pained and his timer was flashing. Luckily, Ultraman's alien senses allowed him to overhear the conversation between Donahue and the Thor. What he planned then was risky, especially considering his power levels, but he had no choice.

Running at Red King, he did an aerial flip over the beast and hit it in the temporals. The monster was knocked off balance by this. Ultraman bent up his hands to shoulder height. White energy ran like electricity between his arms. He ran his left hand over his right arm, causing it to glow with energy. Red King tried to charge at Ultraman, but the hero thrust his glowing fist into the monster's chest.

A spiraling energy blast shot from the fist and drove Red King back with powerful force. The monster growled in pain as the blast burned through its outer hide.

In the Thor, Xander saw Ultraman's plan. "He's giving us our gap, prepare to fire Mjolnir!"

Again, the gun lowered and the bracing anchors held the airship in place. Red King fought to get up and roared in defiance. The Mjolnir charged and fired at its wound just as Ultraman brought his arms back into the plus position and shot the remaining gathered energy as a Specium stream.

Both blasts hit the target perfectly, causing the monster to glow brightly through the ridges of its skin, until it finally exploded from the inside out. The crew of the Thor all shouted in excitement and victory. Ultraman stood up, weakly, his timer flashing ever faster. Looking to the sky, he leaped up "Shuuwat!" and flew into the atmosphere.

As he rose, something caught his attention. Hovering in the distance he saw a red figure with a silver face. He paused in mid air to confirm what he saw, but the figure had disappeared. Realizing he had little time, Ultraman disbursed his form and returned to his human form.

* * *

After the fight, Usagi walked through the forest, looking for the creature. "Little friend!" he called out as he searched.

He was joined by Hayata, Janson, Donahue and Reilly. After being told about the creature, the Captain and Janson both wanted to see it for themselves.

"Where could he be?" asked Usagi in frustration.

"Might be lost," replied Donahue. "These are some deep woods."

Reilly suddenly perked up. "I have an idea," he said. "Does anyone have any food?"

"I have a protein bar," replied Janson, pulling out.

Reilly took the bar. "Thanks." He opened the wrapping on the bar and moved ahead of the group. "Oh little mate!" he called out. "We have something for you."

Suddenly, without warning, the little creature appeared. It ran right to Reilly and bit into the protein bar.

"Hey!" exclaimed Janson. "That was mine!"

Reilly just chuckled as he gently pet the ravenous creature. "Knew the little pig couldn't resist that."

Hayata looked over the creature with curiosity. "Are we sure it's not a threat?" He asked.

"It seems docile," replied Donahue. "Might have been a dud experiment. All this little guy would terrorize would be a grocery store."

Janson walked up to the monster and pet it as well. She laughed when it purred at her touch. "It is kind of cute," she said.

Hayata nodded. He turned to Usagi. "Well, Shundou-kun. You found it, perhaps you should name it."

Usagi nodded and made a thinking gesture. Finally he said, "Well, how about Pygmon?"

"Sounds perfect to me," said Reilly.

Pygmon gave a happy growl at his new name.

"Seems it likes it to," said Janson happily.

"Does this mean we're keeping it sir?" asked Donahue.

Hayata nodded. "Once it checks clear with the analysts back home, I'll see if I can't convince the Colonel to let us keep him as a mascot. After all, we can't just let it wander in the forest robbing campsites for the rest of its life."

Usagi walked up and joined in petting the happy monster. "Welcome to Science Patrol, Pygmon."

Suddenly, Usagi's face became thoughtful. He thought back to the red figure he had seen. _It almost looked like… _he thought_ … like another… Ultraman._

* * *

AN: Yes! At last! Continuation! The past couple of weeks the Ultra-muses hit me hard. I hope I'll be able to continue this some more, it's been so long.

Of course leading up into the intro of a second Ultra.

In the Next Chapter: The URE sends their most dangerous and most powerful creation against Ultraman. When all seems lost, a mysterious red giant appears. But is this Ultra-kinsman friend or foe?

Kaiju in this chapter:

Red King

Chandlar

Pygmon


End file.
